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The Problematic of Biofuels for Development

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Abstract

Since the early 2000s, a fierce debate has raged around the world over the value and consequences of biofuels. Shifting narratives, uneven and fluctuating policies, and activist campaigns for and against biofuels have caused deep financial and territorial uncertainties and complexities. We offer clarity on these debates for development scholars by providing a framework for organising the wide array of literature and identifying the specific challenges of biofuels for development. Centring our critique on three areas—the distribution of costs and benefits, the distribution of power in decision-making forums and markets, and the role of discourse in the debates—we illuminate the consequences of different theoretical lenses for the global governance of biofuels. We conclude by reflecting on the future of global biofuel production, and the ongoing relevance of debates over energy, agriculture, new markets, and resource control for marginalised people worldwide.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, ■, USA

    Kate J. Neville

  2. Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, ■, Canada

    Peter Dauvergne

Authors
  1. Kate J. Neville
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  2. Peter Dauvergne
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Politics, University of York, Heslington, United Kingdom

    Jean Grugel

  2. Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Daniel Hammett

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Neville, K.J., Dauvergne, P. (2016). The Problematic of Biofuels for Development. In: Grugel, J., Hammett, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of International Development. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-42724-3_36

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