Download or read book The Impacts of Biofuels on the Economy Environment and Poverty written by Govinda R. Timilsina and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interest in biofuels began with oil shocks in the 1970’s, but the more rapid development and consumption of biofuel industry in recent years has been primarily driven by mandates, subsidies, climate change concerns, emissions targets and energy security. From 2004 to 2006, fuel ethanol grew by 26% and biodiesel grew by 172%. As biofuel production continues to expand, investments in capacity expansion and research and development have been made. The 2008 food crisis emphasized the need to re-examine biofuel consequences. Biofuels remain an important renewable energy resource to substitute for fossil fuels, particularly in the transportation sector, yet biofuels’ success is still uncertain. The future of biofuels in the energy supply mix relies on mitigating potential and improving the environmental gains. This book brings together leading authorities on biofuel from the World Bank to examine all of the impacts of biofuel (economic, social, environmental) within a unified framework and in a global perspective, making it of interest to academics in agricultural and environmental economics as well as industry and policy-makers.
Download or read book Environmental Economic and Policy Aspects of Biofuels written by Deepak Rajagopal and published by Now Publishers Inc. This book was released on 2008 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Environmental, Economic and Policy Aspects of Biofuels provides a timely summary of the current issues contributing to the policy debates on this emerging and important topic. The authors make several key conclusions: - Biofuels are diverse and evolving. The next generation of biofuels has the potential to provide improved net benefits but requires significant technological breakthroughs. - Greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits vary significantly across various types of biofuels and are dependent on market conditions and policy situation. - While biofuel improves the welfare of gasoline consumers and food producers, it has a significant negative affect on food consumers, especially the poor. - A diverse set of policies, which have been introduced or proposed, impact biofuels directly including subsidies, mandates, and regulation of carbon content of fuels. However, current policies do not provide incentives that align private and social welfare. - Much of the impact assessments of biofuels thus far are ex-ante estimates based on either optimization or equilibrium models. There is a lack of ex-post econometric analysis of the marginal impact of biofuels and biofuel policies on the economy. And the structural relationships between agriculture, the energy sector, and the environment in the context of biofuels have hardly been studied. The biofuel policy debate is likely to be an ongoing one in the near future and Environmental, Economic and Policy Aspects of Biofuels should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding this diverse and growing literature.
Download or read book Review of Enviromental Economic and Policy Aspects of Biofuels written by Deepak Rajagopal and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biofuels and Economic Development in Tanzania written by Channing Arndt and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biofuels provide a new opportunity to enhance economic development in Tanzania. Drawing on detailed cost estimates, we develop a dynamic computable general equilibrium model to estimate the impact of different biofuel production scenarios on growth and poverty. Our results indicate that maximizing the poverty-reducing effects of a biofuels industry in Tanzania requires engaging and improving the productivity of smallholder farmers. Evidence shows that cassava-based ethanol production is more profitable than other feedstock options. Our findings also indicate that cassava generates higher levels of pro-poor growth than do sugarcane-based systems. However, if smallholder yields can be improved rather than expanding cultivated land, then sugarcane and cassava outgrower schemes can produce similar pro-poor outcomes. We conclude that in so far as the public investments needed to establish a biofuels industry in Tanzania are in accordance with national development plans, producing biofuels will contribute to achieving the country's overall development objectives.
Download or read book Biofuels in Africa written by Donald Mitchell and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-11-24 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new economic opportunity for sub-Saharan Africa is looming large: biofuel production. Rapidly rising energy prices are expected to remain high for an extended period of time because of the increasing demand in prospering and populous countries such as China and India, the depletion of easily accessible supplies of crude oil, and concern over global climate change. As a result, there is renewed interest in biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. Africa is uniquely positioned to produce these new cash crops for both domestic use and export. The region has abundant land resources and preferential access to protected markets with higher-than-world-market prices. The rapid growth in the demand for transport fuels in Africa and high fuel prices create domestic markets for biofuels. The European Union and the United States have approved legislation that requires large increases in the consumption of biofuels over at least the next decade. Imports are expected to be needed to meet these mandates, thus opening the door to African and other developing countries that can produce biofuels or feedstocks for biofuels competitively. Expanding the production of crops for biofuels will affect the entire rural sector in Africa as resources are shifted away from traditional crops and the prices of all agricultural commodities rise. Even smallholders can participate in producing biofuel crops. To promote the sustainability and significant contribution of this enterprise, Biofuels in Africa provides guidance in formulating suitable policy regimes, which are based on protecting the rights of current land users, developing revenue-sharing schemes with local communities, safeguarding the environment and biodiversity, expanding institutional capacity, formulating new regulations and procedures, and emulating best practices from experienced countries. This volume will be of value to anyone interested in biofuels, including policy makers, development practitioners, private investors, researchers, and the general public. Now that African countries are trying to significantly increase their energy supply systems, biofuels are an attractive option using both dedicated crops and agricultural waste. This book provides guidance for them to develop a suitable policy regime for a significant contribution by biofuels. Professor Ogunlade R. Davidson, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Sierra Leone Biofuels in Africa is a sorely needed resource for our understanding of the problems of expanding biofuels production in Africa. A high point of the book is a description of the projects that were started in several countries. A very useful book! Professor Jos Goldemberg, University of S o Paulo, Brazil As Africa most likely will play the same role for global biofuels as the Middle East does for oil, this comprehensive book on African biofuels should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in either African development or biofuels. The book captures the essence of long-term drivers and opportunities as well the complex challenges for investors and society of this huge emerging industry. Per Carstedt, Executive Chairman, EcoEnergy Africa
Download or read book The Biobased Economy written by Hans Langeveld and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing an illuminating framework as to how policy and market players could and should drive the development of a biobased economy that is effective, sustainable, fair and cost efficient. The result is an essential resource for all those working in or concerned with biobased industries, their policy or research.
Download or read book Biofuels and Rural Poverty written by Joy Clancy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contributes to the global debate on biofuels, in particular the consequences that large-scale production of transport fuel substitutes can have on rural areas, principally in developing countries and in some poor rural areas of developed countries. This book looks at the production of biofuels from the role of biofuels in reducing rural poverty.
Download or read book Socio Economic Impacts of Bioenergy Production written by Dominik Rutz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-02-23 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Around the world, many countries are increasing efforts to promote biomass production for industrial uses including biofuels and bio-products such as chemicals and bio-plastic. Against a backdrop of lively public debate on sustainability, bioenergy wields both positive and negative impacts upon a variety of environmental and socio-economic issues. These include property rights, labor conditions, social welfare, economic wealth, poverty reduction and more. This book discusses the issues and impacts of bioenergy, taking into account the local and regional framework under which bioenergy is produced, touching upon educational level, cultural aspects, the history and economies of the producing countries and an array of policies including environmental and social targets. The book surveys and analyzes global bioenergy production from a number of perspectives. The authors illustrate the complexity of interrelated topics in the bioenergy value chain, ranging from agriculture to conversion processes, as well as from social implications to environmental effects. It goes on to offer insight on future challenges associated with the expected boom of a global bio-based economy, which contributes to the paradigm shift from a fossil-based to a biomass and renewable energy-based economy. The expert contributors include researchers, investors, policy makers, representatives from NGOs and other stakeholders, from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Their contributions build upon the results of the Global-Bio-Pact project on “Global Assessment of Biomass and Bio-product Impacts on Socio-economics and Sustainability,” which was supported by the European Commission in its 7th Framework Program for Research and Technological Development, conducted from February 2010 to January 2013. The book benefits policy makers, scientists and NGO staffers working in the fields of agriculture, forestry, biotechnology and energy.
Download or read book Biofuels Food Security and Developing Economies written by Nazia Mintz-Habib and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-01-08 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last decade has witnessed major crises in both food and energy security across the world. One response to the challenges of climate change and energy supply has been the development of crops to be used for biofuels. But, as this book shows, this can divert agricultural land from food production to energy crops, thus affecting food security, particularly in less developed countries. The author analyses the extent to which biofuels feedstocks fit within the national food security strategy, agro-export orientation, and rural development plans and policies of developing economies. Two case studies, from Tanzania in East Africa and Borneo in Malaysia, are considered in detail, using the non-edible crop of jatropha as an example of how compromises can be reached to balance food and energy goals as well as export markets. The author develops a novel integrated approach, the Institutional Feasibility Study, as the basis of her analysis. She addresses key issues such as: how do global initiatives for green growth, energy security and sustainable development incorporate biofuels industry development? Does global biofuels trade present meaningful foreign and local investment opportunities for developing countries? To what extent does biofuels feedstock production help with poverty reduction and agricultural sector modernization? What role do the EU and the US commitments to biofuels blending targets play in the rapid industry development in developing countries? How does the biofuels industry fit within existing formal and informal institutional frameworks? Who are the winners and losers in the biofuels global value chain?
Download or read book Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy Volume II written by Madhu Khanna and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-05-22 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In its second volume, this book aims to link the academic research with development in the real world and provide a historical and institutional background that can enrich more formal research. The first section will include an assessment of the evolution and the state of the nascent second-generation biofuel as well as a perspective on the evolution of corn ethanol and sugarcane ethanol in Brazil. It will also include a historical and institutional background on the biofuel industry in Brazil that has global lessons, and later, provide a technical overview of major analytical tools used to assess the economic, land use and greenhouse gas implications of biofuel policies at a regional and global level. Additionally, the book analyzes the various drivers for land use change both at a micro-economic level and at a macro-economic level. It presents studies that apply regional and global economic models to examine the effects of biofuel policies in the US, EU and Brazil on regional and global land use, on food and fuel prices and greenhouse gas emissions. These papers illustrate the use of partial and general equilibrium modeling approaches to simulate the effects of various biofuel policies, and includes studies showing the effects of risk aversion, time preferences and liquidity constraints on farmers decision to grow energy crops for biofuel production. By presenting the tools of lifecycle analysis for assessing the direct greenhouse gas intensity of biofuels, this handbook investigates the types of indirect or market mediated effects that can offset or strengthen these direct effects. It will include tools to assess the direct and indirect effects of biofuel production on greenhouse gas emissions in the US and Brazil, and ultimately provide a comprehensive background to understand the state of biofuel in the present and how to analyze their implication.
Download or read book Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy written by Madhu Khanna and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-12-02 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concerns about energy security, uncertainty about oil prices, declining oil reserves, and global climate change are fueling a shift towards bioenergy as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Public policies and private investments around the globe are aiming to increase local capacity to produce biofuels. A key constraint to the expansion of biofuel production is the limited amount of land available to meet the needs for fuel, feed, and food in the coming decades. Large-scale biofuel production raises concerns about food versus fuel tradeoffs, about demands for natural resources such as water, and about potential impacts on environmental quality. The book is organized into five parts. The introductory part provides a context for the emerging economic and policy challenges related to bioenergy and the motivations for biofuels as an energy source. The second part of the handbook includes chapters that examine the implications of expanded production of first generation biofuels for the allocation of land between food and fuel and for food/feed prices and trade in biofuels as well as the potential for technology improvements to mitigate the food vs. fuel competition for land. Chapters in the third part examine the infrastructural and logistical challenges posed by large scale biofuel production and the factors that will influence the location of biorefineries and the mix of feedstocks they use. The fourth part includes chapters that examine the environmental implications of biofuels, their implications for the design of policies and the unintended environmental consequences of existing biofuel policies. The final part presents economic analysis of the market, social welfare, and distributional effects of biofuel policies.
Download or read book Sustainable Development of Biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean written by Barry D. Solomon and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-10-30 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines recent developments in Latin American biofuel production. Taking “sustainable development” as a central theme, each chapter considers one country in the region and explores how biofuel production is evolving given concerns about food sovereignty, trade and other social issues. Environmental conservation, as well as an increasingly complex and globalized economic structure, Is also taken into account. The contributions to this volume critically explore the ways in which biofuel production in Latin America impact social, economic and environmental systems: the so-called “three pillars of sustainability". Numerous stakeholders, drawn from government, industry, civil society and academia have attempted to define “Sustainable Development” in the context of biofuel production and to operationalize it through a series of principles, criteria, and highly specific indicators. Nevertheless, it remains a fluid and contested concept with deep political and social ramifications, which each chapter explores in detail.
Download or read book Renewable Fuel Standard written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-01-29 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the United States, we have come to depend on plentiful and inexpensive energy to support our economy and lifestyles. In recent years, many questions have been raised regarding the sustainability of our current pattern of high consumption of nonrenewable energy and its environmental consequences. Further, because the United States imports about 55 percent of the nation's consumption of crude oil, there are additional concerns about the security of supply. Hence, efforts are being made to find alternatives to our current pathway, including greater energy efficiency and use of energy sources that could lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as nuclear and renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. The United States has a long history with biofuels and the nation is on a course charted to achieve a substantial increase in biofuels. Renewable Fuel Standard evaluates the economic and environmental consequences of increasing biofuels production as a result of Renewable Fuels Standard, as amended by EISA (RFS2). The report describes biofuels produced in 2010 and those projected to be produced and consumed by 2022, reviews model projections and other estimates of the relative impact on the prices of land, and discusses the potential environmental harm and benefits of biofuels production and the barriers to achieving the RFS2 consumption mandate. Policy makers, investors, leaders in the transportation sector, and others with concerns for the environment, economy, and energy security can rely on the recommendations provided in this report.
Download or read book Biofuels in Circular Economy written by Suhaib A. Bandh and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed coverage of how the circular economy aims to change the paradigm in relation to the linear economy, by limiting the environmental impact and waste of resources, as well as increasing efficiency at all stages of the product economy. It serves as the sole comprehensive overview of the role of biofuels in the circular economy. It contains updated information on the latest trends of techno-economic analysis of biofuels, economic transitions, low-carbon economies, green circular societies, and life cycle assessment of biofuels. This book delves deep into the economic security of the poor as well as the nexus between biofuel industry and global trade bodies, making it one of the few introductory books without bias toward the contribution of biofuels in circular economy. With its diverse contributions on themes such as biofuels as potential alternatives to fossil fuels, biofuel economics and policies; biofuel standards, blending, and future insecurities; economic transitions from biomass to biofuels; and biofuel economy, development, and food security, the book would be a great resource for a wide and multi-disciplinary readership base ranging from researchers to academics, policy makers, innovators, corporates, and non-profit organizations working in this area.
Download or read book Status and Potential for the Development of Biofuels and Rural Renewable Energy written by Asian Development Bank and published by Asian Development Bank. This book was released on 2012-04-01 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report contains a detailed assessment of the status and potential for the development of biofuels in Cambodia and presents a country strategy for biofuels development consistent with the Greater Mekong Subregion Regional Strategic Framework for Biofuel Development. The findings were endorsed at the Fifth Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion Working Group on Agriculture on 22-24 September 2008 in Vientiane, the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Download or read book Sustainable Biofuels written by Ramesh C. Ray and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2021-04-08 with total page 503 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Biofuels: Opportunities and challenges, a volume in the "Applied Biotechnology Reviews series, explores the state-of-the-art in research and applied technology for the conversion of all types of biofuels. Its chapters span a broad spectrum of knowledge, from fundamentals and technical aspects to optimization, combinations, economics, and environmental aspects. They cover various facets of research, production, and commercialization of bioethanol, biodiesel, biomethane, biohydrogen, biobutanol, and biojet fuel. This book discusses biochemical, thermochemical, and hydrothermal conversion of unconventional feedstocks, including the role of biotechnology applications to achieve efficiency and competitiveness. Through case studies, techno-economic analysis and sustainability assessment, including life cycle assessment, it goes beyond technical aspects to provides actual resources for better decision-making during the development of commercially viable technology by researchers, PhD students, and practitioners in the field of bioenergy. It is also a useful resource for those in adjacent areas, such as biotechnology, industrial microbiology, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, and sustainability science, who are working on solutions for the bioeconomy. The ability to compare different technologies and their outcome that this book provides is also beneficial for energy analysts, consultants, planners, and policy-makers. The "Applied Biotechnology Reviews series highlights current development and research in biotechnology-related fields, combining in single-volume works the theoretical aspects and real-world applications for better decision-making. - Covers current technologies and advancements in biochemical, thermochemical, and hydrothermal conversion methods for production of various types of biofuels from conventional and nonconventional feedstock - Examines biotechnology processes, including genetic engineering of microorganisms and substrates, applied to biofuel production - Bridges the gap between technology development and prospects of commercialization of bioprocesses, including policy and economics of biofuel production, biofuel value chains, and how to accomplish cost-competitive results and sustainable development
Download or read book Global Economic and Environmental Aspects of Biofuels written by David Pimentel and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-04-02 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biofuels and food are dependent on the same resources for production: land, water, and energy. The conjuncture of food, energy, and climate crises demands a new direction in how to harness agriculture to the joint tasks of energy-saving, emissions reduction, and food security. Global Economic and Environmental Aspects of Biofuels focuses on the all-important question of the efficacy of biofuels as a solution to the global energy problem. Written by a distinguished team from five countries and multiple disciplines including agronomy, petroleum engineering, ecology, and meteorology, the book addresses the use of biofuels produced from crops and various organic materials as alternatives or supplements to petroleum. Key Features Discusses biofuels within the context of the world population problem, food, malnutrition, resource depletion, and climate change Asks the critical question whether the production of ethanol from corn, sugar cane, crop residues, and other organic materials has proven too costly in both economic and environmental terms Analyzes the uses and interdependencies among land, water, and fossil energy resources in food versus biofuel production Includes case studies on the economic and environmental impacts of biofuel production and use from the United States, Europe, Brazil, and tropical environments Explores the future production of biodiesel and ethanol from salt-water algae and tropical palms, while recognizing the technological problems that must be resolved in processing these materials This book examines key environmental and economic issues associated with the production of ethanol as a fuel, from corn, sugar cane, crop residues, and other organic materials. It brings together the opinions of a number of U.S. scientists and experts from Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, and highlights the remarkable agreement among the contributors on the pros and cons of biofuels as an answer to future petroleum shortages. This mix of contributors and opinions presents a well-rounded view of the subject that puts a spotlight on unresolved concerns and complexities that are often overlooked.
