Rural biomass energy 2020: People's Republic of China

The developing world is looking for effective, creative ideas for upscaling clean, renewable energy. No place will gain more socially, economically, and environmentally from increased access to clean, reliable energy than poor, rural areas. Biomass energy, produced from animal and crop wastes, is a sensible renewable energy option for rural areas and it can be cost-effective at community and industry scales if guided effectively by governments. This publication explores the potential of biomass energy to close the urban–rural energy gap, raise farmer incomes, and mend the environment in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Its findings are instructive for other developing and medium-income countries exploring energy-for-all strategies. The report examines the promises and limitations of leading biomass energy technologies and resources for various distribution scales, including but not limited to household biogas digesters. The information is based on lessons learned and experiences from the Asian Development Bank–financed Efficient Utilization of Agricultural Wastes Project in the PRC, as well as findings and conclusions from a technical assistance grant to assist the government draft a national strategy for developing rural biomass energy.rural biomass energy; rural development; biomass resources; biomass technologies; China

The protein puzzle : the consumption and production of meat, dairy and fish in the European Union

In het rapport 'The protein puzzle. The consumption and production of meat, dairy and fish in the European Union' brengen onderzoekers van het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (PBL) in kaart wat de gevolgen van de productie en consumptie van dierlijke eiwitten zijn voor milieu, natuur en gezondheid. Vervolgens schetst het PBL welke opties er in Europees verband zijn om de negatieve effecten te verminderen. Met deze studie verschaft het PBL relevante feiten en cijfers ten behoeve van het debat over eiwitconsumptie, inclusief een indicatie van de onzekerheden daarbij

Towards a sustainable biomass strategy: what we know and what we should know

The paper reviews the current knowledge on the use of biomass for non-food purposes, critically discusses its environmental sustainability implications, and describes the needs for further research, thus enabling a more balanced policy approach. The life-cylce wide impacts of the use of biomass for energy and material purposes derived from either direct crop harvest or residuals indicate that biomass based substitutes have a different, not always superior environmental performance than comparable fossil based products. Cascading use, i.e. when biomass is used for material products first and the energy content is recovered from the end-of-life products, tends to provide a higher environmental benefit than primary use as fuel. Due to limited global land resources, non-food biomass may only substitute for a certain share of non-renewables. If the demand for non-food biomass, especially fuel crops and its derivates, continues to grow this will inevitably lead to an expansion of global arable land at the expense of natural ecosystems such as savannas and tropical rain forests. Whereas the current aspirations and incentives to increase the use of non-food biomass are intended to counteract climate change and environmental degradation, they are thus bound to a high risk of problem shifting and may even lead to a global deterioration of the environment. Although the balanced approach of the European Union's biomass strategy may be deemed a good principle, the concrete targets and implementation measures in the Union and countries like Germany should be revisited. Likewise, countries like Brazil and Indonesia may revisit their strategies to use their natural resources for export or domestic purposes. Further research is needed to optimize the use of biomass within and between regions. -- Der Beitrag wertet die vorliegenden Erkenntnisse über den Einsatz von Non-Food Biomasse aus. Er diskutiert kritisch die damit verbundenen ökologischen Nachhaltigkeitswirkungen und beschreibt die Forschungsaufgaben, die gelöst werden müssen, um einen ausgewogeneren Politikansatz zu ermöglichen. Die lebenszyklusweiten Umweltbelastungen des energetischen und stofflichen Einsatzes von Biomasse als Roh- oder Reststoffe zeigen, dass Biomasse basierte Produkte andere, nicht immer bessere Umweltauswirkungen aufweisen als fossil basierte. Eine kaskadenförmige Nutzung, bei der Biomasse zunächst materiell für Ge- und Verbrauchsprodukte eingesetzt wird, deren Energiegehalt am Ende ihrer Einsatzphase genutzt wird, ist tendenziell mit einer höheren Umweltentlastung verbunden als der primär energetische Einsatz. Auf Grund der begrenzten globalen Landflächen kann Non-Food Biomasse nur einen gewissen Anteil an nichterneuerbaren Ressourcen ersetzen. Wenn die Nachfrage nach Non-Food Biomasse und ihren Derivaten, speziell nach Biokraftstoffen, weiter ansteigt, wird dies zwangsläufig zu einer Ausdehnung der globalen Ackerfläche zu Lasten von natürlichen Ökosystemen wie Savannen und tropischen Regenwäldern führen. Wenngleich die gegenwärtigen Hoffnungen und Anreize zum verstärkten Einsatz von Non-Food Biomasse darauf abzielen, dem Klimawandel entgegenzuwirken und die Umweltsituation zu verbessern, sind sie daher mit einem großen Risiko verbunden, Probleme zu verlagern und die globale Umweltsituation sogar noch zu verschlechtern. Obwohl der ausgewogene Ansatz der Biomassestrategie der Europäischen Union als ein gutes Prinzip gelten kann, so sollten die konkreten Ziele und Umsetzungsmaßnahmen in der Union und in Ländern wie Deutschland überprüft werden. In gleicher Weise mögen Länder wie Brasilien und Indonesien ihre Strategie zur Nutzung ihrer natürlichen Ressourcen für den Export oder im Inland überprüfen. Weitere Forschungsarbeiten sind nötig, um den Einsatz von Biomasse innerhalb und zwischen den Regionen zu optimieren.

Scoping study on natural resources and climate change in Southeast Asia with a focus on agriculture. Final report

Climate change / Natural resources / Environmental effects / Agroecology / Agricultural production / Crops / Cropping systems / Farming systems / Livestock / Fisheries / Food security / Water management / Economic aspects / Rural poverty / Policy / Nutrient management / South East Asia / Cambodia / Laos / Thailand / Vietnam / Myanmar / China / Greater Mekong Subregion / Tonle Sap / Yunnan

Environmental Impacts of Diverting Crop Residues to Fuel Use

Shortage of fuel wood has lead many rural people to switch to using agricultural residues as an alternative energy source. However this has not always been met with universal acclaim due to the role of residues as fertilisers. Although crop residues and animal manure as a nutrient source has been superseded by inorganic fertilizers in most intensive farming systems, they\ud continue to be the main source of crop nutrient replacement in most developing countries. There has developed wide spread assumption that the removal of all crop residues from the fields must therefore be prevented since this will be detrimental to crop productivity. This is a gross simplification on several fronts

Grain Market Reform in China: Global Implications

Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,