IUCN 21 Jan 09;
A hands-on guide to producing bioenergy without harming the environment was launched today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to coincide with the World Future Energy summit in Abu Dhabi.
Biofuels are on the agenda of the Summit, the largest meeting of the renewable energy industry this year. IUCN’s publication, Implementing Sustainable Bioenergy Production: a compilation of tools and approaches, urges governments, bioenergy producers and investors to learn from the environmental community and to start implementing sustainable approaches for bioenergy production.
“The biggest potential for biofuels does not lie in filling jet engines and SUVs, but in improving access to modern energy services to the more than 2 billion people who depend on unhealthy and inefficient forms of energy, “ said IUCN’s Director General Julia Matron-Lefèvre.
The publication addresses a range of sustainability issues from gender to invasive species; water management to landscape planning – some of which are rarely included in the bioenergy debate.
IUCN Chief Scientist, Jeff McNeely, who also chaired the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) environment group, said, “This collection of 30+ tools illustrates that we shouldn’t wait to start implementing sustainability practices when it comes to large-scale bioenergy production. We are not saying that we and our members and partners have all the answers, but this is a good place for a politician or developer to start when they are considering how biofuels can be produced sustainably. This is just a beginning. As the biofuel industry gains more experience over the years, they will also realise the market as well as ecosystem benefits of implementing sustainable production”.
A number of sustainability schemes for biofuels are under discussion. The RSB has launched its “Version Zero” set of twelve principles addressing numerous sustainability issues. IUCN’s work is contributing to bringing these principles to life and enabling developers to deliver sustainable products to the market.
The publication will be presented at the World Water Forum in Istanbul from the 16th to the 22nd March, where the links between water, energy and agriculture will be focused upon.
