Bioeconomy | Ecologic Institute: Science and Policy for a Sustainable World

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Presentation

Speech

Bioeconomy

Development

Impact of EU Bioenergy Policy on Developing Countries

TimeLoc

25 January 2012

Brussels

Belgium

Stephanie Wunder

In order to meet its renewable energy targets by 2020, the EU is likely to increase its demand for biomass, not only for biofuel crops but also for woody biomass. A significant portion of this biomass will likely come from developing countries. In a briefing for the European Parliament Ecologic Institute analyzed some of the main impacts of the EU bioenergy policy on developing countries, focusing particularly on woody biomass. Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow and Coordinator Bioenergy and Agriculture at the Ecologic Institute presented the findings of the briefing in the Committee onRead more

Project

SÖF

Bioeconomy

The Social Dimension of EU Biofuel Policy

December 2011 to February 2012

Since the adoption of the EU Renewable Energies Directive in 2009 the sustainability of biofuels has been an issue of ongoing discussions among scientists, civil society and policy-makers. While environmental concerns usually dominate the debates, the study produced in this project focuses on the social impacts of the EU biofuels production. Of particular interest in this context is the role of sustainability criteria and certification schemes in EU biofuel policy and to which extent they can ensure a sustainable use of biofuels.

In 2009, theRead more

Project

Bioeconomy

Development

Impact of EU Bioenergy Policy on Developing Countries

November 2011 to January 2012

In order to meet its renewable energy targets by 2020, the EU is likely to increase its demand for biomass, not only for biofuel crops but also for woody biomass. A significant portion of this biomass will likely come from developing countries, particularly those in West and Central Africa, as well as Latin American countries. This demand can have significant negative impacts in these developing regions, including environmental degradation and threats to food security. In this brief for the European Parliament, researchers at Ecologic Institute analyze some of those main impacts, focusingRead more

Project

Global Land Use and Sustainability (GLOBALANDS)

September 2011 to June 2014

August 2012 to June 2015

The pressure on land and natural resources is increasing worldwide. While there are many sectoral policies tackling different environmental problems, land use is not regulated in an integrated and overarching way. The discussion on sustainable biofuels and biomass highlights the continued lack of an effective and innovative framework to deal with complex land-use issues. The aim of the GLOBALANDS project is to identify existing land use policies and develop possible governance tools towards a more resource efficient and sustainable global land use.Read more

Presentation

Lecture

Bioeconomy

Education

Biomass in the Regulation Trap? The Complexity of a Sustainable Use of Bioenergy

TimeLoc

23 August 2011

Potsdam

Germany

Timo Kaphengst

From 22 to 26 August 2011 the Vereinigung für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung (VÖW) organized a summerschool on "Sustainable Production Chains" together with the Humboldt University of Berlin. Part of the diverse programme for PhD and master students was a seminar held at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB) on renewable energies with a special focus on bioenergy and biomass from agro-forest systems. In his presentation Timo Kaphengst, Coordinator for Biodiversity and Forest at Ecologic Institute, highlighted different sustainability challenges within the biomass production chain and presented current policy responses on EU and German level. The presentation can be downloaded.Read more

Publication

Prospects for Sustainable Bioenergy Production in Selected Former Communist Countries

A new publication in the journal "Ecological Indicators" by Tanja Srebotnjak, from Ecologic Institute, and Peter Hardi, from the Central European University in Hungary, examines the potentials for sustainable bioenergy production in Bulgaria, Romania and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. The study draws on official statistics and modeling results and concludes that bioenergy potentials are highest in Bulgaria, Romania, and Kazakhstan but depend on several factors including crop choice, climatic conditions, availability of suitable land, and the institutional and legal infrastructure.Read more

Event

Conference

Bioeconomy

Sustainability

Biomass Certification Schemes from both Sides of the Atlantic

TimeLoc

22 January 2010

Washington DC

United States

Ecologic Institute organized a symposium on biomass certification scheme in Washington DC on 22 January 2010. The event addressed the role of certification systems in developing a new green economy with the goal of facilitating the exchange of ideas and lessons based on US and German experiences, and advancing the discussion about establishing international standards for biomass-based energy.

The discussion took...Read more

Presentation

Certification of Biofuels

TimeLoc

11 December 2009

Potsdam

Germany

Timo Kaphengst

The international debate on biofuels is mostly dominated by environmental and economic aspects while the question of how biofuels can be produced in a socially acceptable way is not systematically tackled. The project "Biofuel as Social Fuel" examines for two regions in Germany and Brazil the social dimension of biofuel production. Timo Kaphengst gave a lecture at the project`s kick-off event stressing the role of certification systems in biofuel governance.

Publication

At a Tipping Point?

How the Debate on Biofuel Standards Sparks Innovative Ideas for the General Future of Standardisation and Certification Schemes

The expanding use of biomass as an energy source has been accompanied by a growing range of certification and standard-setting schemes in an attempt to ensure the sustainability of biofuel production. The result has added to the confusion in an already crowded certification market, but an opportunity to develop a streamlined global standard-setting system arises from this complexity. In this article, Timo Kaphengst, Mandy Ma and Stephanie Schlegel of Ecologic Institute outline how some of the innovative ideas coming from the biofuel certification and standardisation discussions can be applied to create a global generic standard-setting scheme for natural resources.Read more

Publication

Europäische und nationale Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen bei der energetischen Nutzung von Biomasse

With the plenary speech of the 3rd bioenergy forum Dr. Bernhard Dreher from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment and Jessica Löhndorf, Fellow at Ecologic Institute introduce the European sustainability requirements for biofuels and vegetable oils, which were transposed into German legislation in 2009. Germany was the first member state to implement the sustainability certification in Europe. The authors explain their practical implementation in Germany.Read more