Abstract
Many countries present climate change mitigation benefit as one of the main rationales to defend their policies to promote biofuels. However, the role of biofuels on climate change mitigation remains ambiguous. Whether or not biofuels save greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions depends on how the savings are estimated. The GHG mitigation potentials of biofuels are normally assessed through three different approaches: project level approach, life-cycle approach, and an approach that accounts for indirect land-use change (ILUC) effect. Relying on a general equilibrium analysis, this chapter assesses climate change mitigation impacts of meeting biofuel mandates and targets introduced by 40 plus countries around the world.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
While a life-cycle approach could approximate GHG savings of a biofuel project, it does not trace GHG leakage caused beyond project boundary that normally occurs when biofuel expansion is carried out at a large-scale. For example, biofuel blending mandates in the US and Europe could increase biofuel production in Brazil and Indonesia. The production might come from feedstock grown in new lands supplied through conversion of forest or pasture lands. The conversion of lands releases GHG emissions and it is referred to as indirect land use change (ILUC) effect of biofuels.
- 2.
The authors also analyze a scenario where the mandates and target are doubled to further stimulate biofuel penetration in the global energy supply mix. For results of that scenario, interested readers may refer to Timilsina and Mevel (2011)
- 3.
References
Al-Riffai, P., Dimaranan, B., & Laborde, D. (2010). Global trade and environmental impact study of the EU biofuels mandate. Report for the European Commission, DG TRADE, ATLASS Consortium Institute. Retrieved from http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2010/march/tradoc_145954.pdf
Dumortier, J., Hayes, D. J., Carriquiry, M., Dong, F., Du, X., Elobeid, A., et al. (2011). Sensitivity of carbon emission estimates from indirect land-use change. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 33(3), 428–448.
Fargione, F., Hill, J., Tilman, D., Polasky, S., & Hawthorne, P. (2008). Land clearing and the biofuel carbon debt. Science, 2008(319), 1235–1238.
Fischer, G., Hizsnyik, E., Prieler, S., Shah, M., & van Velthuizen, H. (2009). Biofuels and Food Security, OPEC Fund for International Development. Vienna: Austria.
Hertel, T. W., Tyner, W, & Birur, D. K. (2010). The global impacts of biofuel mandates”, The Energy Journal, 31(1), 75–100.
IPCC. (2006). 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. In H. S. Eggleston, L. Buendia, K. Miwa, T. Ngara, & K. Tanabe (Eds.), National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Program (Agricultural, forestry and other land use, Vol. 4). Kanagawa, Japan: IGES.
Khanna, M., & Crago, C. L. (2012). Measuring indirect land use change with biofuels: Implications for policy. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 4, 161–26.
Laborde, D. (2011). Assessing the land use change consequences of European biofuel policies (Report for the European Commission, ATLASS Consortium). Retrieved from http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/october/tradoc_148289.pdf
Searchinger, R., Heimlich, R. A., Houghton, F., Dong, A., Elobeid, J., Fabiosa, S., et al. (2008). Use of US croplands for biofuels increased greenhouse gases through land-use change. Science Express, 319(5867), 1238–124.
Timilsina, G. R., Beghin, J. C., van der Mensbrugghe, D., & Mevel, S. (2010). The impacts of biofuel targets on land-use change and food supply: A global CGE assessment (Policy Research Working Paper 5513). Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Timilsina, G. R., & Mevel, S. (2011). Biofuels and climate change mitigation: A CGE analysis incorporating land-use change (Policy Research Working Paper 5672). Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Timilsina, G. R., & Mevel, S. (2013). Biofuels and climate change mitigation: A CGE analysis incorporating land-use change. Environmental & Resource Economics, 55, 1–19.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Timilsina, G.R., Mevel, S. (2014). Biofuels and Climate Change Mitigation. In: Timilsina, G., Zilberman, D. (eds) The Impacts of Biofuels on the Economy, Environment, and Poverty. Natural Resource Management and Policy, vol 41. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0518-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0518-8_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0517-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0518-8
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsEconomics and Finance (R0)