Food versus Fuel: An Informed Introduction to Biofuels - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848133839 ISBN 13: 9781848133839

Verlag: Bloomsbury 3PL, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

Food versus Fuel presents a high-level introduction to the science and economics behind a well-worn debate, that will debunk myths and provide quality facts and figures for academics and practitioners in development studies, environment studies, and agricultural studies.

Compiled by an internationally renowned scientist and authority, and to include perspectives from 'pro' and 'anti' biofuels experts and activists, from the North and South, the aim of this book is to bring a balanced approach to the current debate on the major issues affecting the development of biofuels in a concise and clear manner in order to provide an informed, nuanced but accessible introduction, grounded in science and economics rather than conjecture and controversy.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Frank Rosillo-Calle is an Honorary Research Fellow in Biomass Energy at Imperial College London. He has more than 30 years' experience in bioenergy research, and has been involved in many international research projects.

Francis X. Johnson is Senior Research Fellow in Climate and Energy at the Stockholm Environment Institute. He has been an expert adviser and/or evaluator for several international organizations, including the European Commission, UNIDO, Eurostat, FAO and the European Parliament.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Food Versus Fuel

An Informed Introduction to Biofuels

By Frank Rosillo-Calle, Francis X. Johnson

Zed Books Ltd

Copyright © 2010 Frank Rosillo-Calle and Francis X. Johnson
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-84813-383-9

Contents

List of Tables and Figures, vi, 
List of Abbreviations, viii, 
About the Contributors, x, 
Introduction Frank Rosillo-Calle and Francis X. Johnson, 1, 
1 Food versus Fuel: Setting the Scene Frank Rosillo-Calle and Jeff Tschirley, 7, 
2 Why We Should Not Be Using Biofuels David Pimentel, Alison Marklein, Megan A. Toth, Marissa N. Karpoff, Gillian S. Paul, Robert McCormack, Joanna Kyriazis, and Tim Krueger, 29, 
3 Why Biofuels are Important Luís Cortez and Manoel Regis L.V Leal with Thomson Sinkala, 58, 
4 Agriculture and Land Use Issues J. Richard Hess, Jacob J. Jacobson, Douglas L. Karlen, David J. Muth Jr, Richard G. Nelson, Leslie P Ovard, Erin M. Searcy, and Thomas H. Ulrich, 86, 
5 The Role of Biofuels in Promoting Rural Development Rocio Diaz-Chavez, 116, 
6 Biofuels and Climate Change N. H. Ravindranath, Ritumbara Manuvie, and C. Sita Lakshmi, 138, 
7 Future Trends in Biomass Resources for Food and Fuel Francis X. Johnson and Ivar Virgin, 164, 
8 Food versus Fuel: Concluding Remarks Francis X. Johnson and Frank Rosillo-Calle, 191, 
Index, 209, 

CHAPTER 1

Food versus Fuel: Setting the Scene

Frank Rosillo-Calle and Jeff Tschirley

As the twenty-first century settles on its course, energy security concerns, high oil prices and growing international commitment to address climate change have sparked significant interest and investment in renewable energy resources. Particular emphasis has been placed on liquid biofuels, which are seen as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport, contribute to rural development, and reduce costly dependence on imported oil. Some countries also see biofuels as a way to exploit their comparative advantage in agriculture and increase their export earnings. Needless to say, the demand for bioenergy is likely to influence agriculture strongly in the foreseeable future.

A political and scientific debate, particularly with regard to the potential negative social and environmental impacts of bioenergy production, has been taking place for several years and was intensified during 2008 by spikes in agricultural commodity prices. The areas of greatest concern have been impacts on food security, land competition and indirect land-use change; lower-than-expected greenhouse gas benefits from some biofuel feedstocks; biodiversity and sustainability impacts; and market distortions caused by subsidies.

There is a role for an informed, nuanced and accessible source, grounded in science and economics rather than conjecture and controversy. The aim of this book is to bring a balanced perspective to bear on the major issues affecting the development of biofuels in order to facilitate a more informed debate among academic and professional specialists as well as the general public. This book explores the wider implications associated with the multi-faceted nature of biofuels and the multiple purposes that generally lie behind support for biofuels.

This chapter sets the scene for those that follow by reviewing the major issues in the food versus fuel debate, to be examined later in greater detail. We review the positions of various biofuel interest groups; examine some of the moral dilemmas; and assess how issues such as food prices, land use, subsidies, and greenhouse gases may influence the outcome in the current drive towards greater use of renewable energy sources.

The biofuel debate has centred around three major dilemmas: (1) whether biofuel production and use lead to – or imply – a choice between food and fuel; (2) whether biofuels have positive or negative effects for climate change and the broader environment; and (3) whether biofuels contribute to socio-economic development, wealth generation and distribution.

The 'food versus fuel' debate is not new (e.g. Rosillo-Calle and Hall, 1987; FAO, 1999) but intensified in recent years when a number of factors converged. Among the driving forces were policy decisions in the EU and US to increase their use of biofuels significantly and provide incentives for their production. The response by the private sector and a number of developing countries was strong; the result was an expanding bioenergy market, but environmental and social concerns rapidly emerged. During 2007 and 2008, as the global economy was undergoing significant and widespread changes in the scale and geographical scope of supply and demand, spikes in many commodity markets occurred, including soaring prices for key agricultural commodities such as maize, rice and wheat.

The sharp increase in food prices has been attributed to a combination of factors and the specific influence of biofuel production is widely recognized, even if the magnitude of the impact is still a matter of debate. However, the rapid transition towards biofuel use, primarily in the US and EU, was seen by many as the root of the problem. Growing concern was expressed by some international organizations (FAO, 2007; Royal Society, 2008) as well as non-governmental groups (Doornbosch and Steenblik, 2007); Kutas et al., 2007; Koplow, 2007) over a rapid rush to biofuels that failed to take the full risks into account. Their concern was reinforced by studies that questioned the overall greenhouse gas benefits and the availability of land to support biofuel feedstock production.

Much of the criticism has been focused on 'first-generation' biofuels dependent on technologies likely to be used for at least the next decade, until 'second-generation' technologies start to become more widespread. But there has also been a failure to understand fully the potential economic implications that such a significant additional demand for biofuel feedstocks places on agricultural commodity prices and human wellbeing.

Factors such as transport costs of feedstocks, infrastructure requirements, land availability and rapid growth in demand from some developed countries are significant in economic terms. However, developing countries in the tropics, which have a comparative advantage in producing biomass and biofuels due to favourable climatic conditions, face other challenges – land tenure rights, food insecurity and limited infrastructure, to name just a few – that constrain their efforts to enter the biofuel marketplace.

Government policy in a number of OECD countries was implemented without sufficient analysis of the environmental, social and economic effects. Furthermore, dialogue between the countries that would import biofuels and those that would produce them was minimal. This led to unrealistic assumptions and expectations. In this sense, the current debate is relevant but somewhat premature – as the world confronts a significant financial downturn and practical reality begins to take hold, the costs and benefits of biofuel production will be seen from a different and more practical perspective than they have to date.

The simplistic manner in which the popular press has portrayed biofuels as a 'food versus fuel' issue has neglected complex interactions with factors such as climate change, livelihoods and development goals; misconceptions and misunderstandings among academics, policy makers and the wider public have flourished.

The benefits and risks of biofuels are highly context-specific – a system that is sustainable in one...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Bloomsbury 3PL
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1848133839
• ISBN 13: 9781848133839
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 232
• Herausgeber: Rosillo-Calle Frank, Johnson Francis, Pimentel David
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland