Posted on 28 September
2011 Strong social and environmental safeguards
are needed to protect people and the planet
from unsustainable bioenergy expansion,
says conservation organization WWF.
Bioenergy is any energy made from materials
such as wood, sugarcane, corn and algae.
It is often touted as an environmentally
friendly alternative to fossil fuels, and
governments that have made ambitious commitments
to cut greenhouse gas emissions will rely
heavily on bioenergy to meet these targets.
However, WWF’s Living Forests Report warns
that in the absence of robust safeguards,
the growing demand for bioenergy could trigger
unsustainable extractive forestry in natural
forests and the expansion of bioenergy crops
and fast growing timber plantations that
replace food production or forests and grasslands
with high conservation values.
The report uses the
Living Forests Model, created in collaboration
with the International Institute for Applied
Systems Analysis, to examine the land use
implications of two key WWF targets: reducing
deforestation to near zero by 2020 and meeting
100 per cent of humanity’s energy needs
with renewable sources by 2050.
“The model shows that
we can protect forests and switch to renewable
energy, but not if we keep going with business
as usual. Bioenergy must actually replace
fossil fuel,” said WWF International Bioenergy
Coordinator László Máthé.
“We’ll do more harm than good if we simply
add bioenergy to the current energy mix.”
WWF recommends efforts
to reduce overall energy consumption, including
investing in energy-efficient buildings
and transport systems, and using renewably
generated electricity as a primary energy
source.
Because bioenergy crops
may compete for the same land as food crops,
it will be critical to improve agriculture
efficiency, growing more with the same,
or less, land and water. Without these improvements,
food prices could rise, making poor communities
more vulnerable.
Additionally, WWF advocates
that the bioenergy sector adopt voluntary
standards, like those of the Roundtable
on Sustainable Biofuel and Forest Stewardship
Council, which address the most important
direct impacts.
The “New Generation
Plantations” framework is another valuable
tool for energy companies looking into fast
growing plantations. New Generation Plantations
adhere to the principles of maintaining
ecosystem integrity, protecting and enhancing
high conservation values, ensuring effective
stakeholder involvement in the development
of plantations and contributing to economic
development. WWF launched the “Forests and
Energy” chapter of the Living Forests Report
at the New Generation Plantations – Responsible
Markets seminar today in London.
“This report reinforces
the message that bioenergy isn’t inherently
good or bad,” said Máthé.
“Under the right conditions, it can help
mitigate climate change and make reliable
energy a reality for more people around
the globe. However, under the wrong conditions,
it puts even greater stress on our planet’s
already overtaxed resources.”
