Presented at the 180-Minute Symposium Biofuels Ablaze, organized by Susan E Cozzens, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.Environmental standards are vital if the international trade in biofuels was to be allowed to begin on a massive scale. Large-scale production of biofuels in Asia — such as palm oil plantations in Papua New Guinea — could cause serious environmental challenges for the entire planet, starting with the clearance of forested land for plantations. Development should focus on second-hand generation biofuels are produced from the by-products of food crops, such as sugarcane, rather than crops grown purely for bio-fuel production

Woods, Jeremy

English

Scholarly Materials And Research @ Georgia Tech

Setting global standards for sustainable biofuels developmentBiofuels AblazeAAAS Chicago 15th February 2009Dr Jeremy Woods (CEP/ICEPT)E-mail: jeremy.woods@imperial.ac.ukTel: +44 (0)20 7594 7315Climate ChangeGlobal / RegionalEnergy SecurityRural DevelopmentLocal / ConsumerUsability / reliabilityEnvironment / health[inc air quality]SustainabilityClimate change and society:the policy contextFood SecurityCostInnovationNon-CO2 emissionsIndoor air pollutionAccess to affordable energyCarbon substitutionEconomic developmentIndustryAdministrationDevelopment costsWatershed managementBiomassCarbon seqestrationSoil protectionFarmers associationsLand-use administrationAgriculture/Forestry AdministrationSoil DegradationLand CompetitionPesticide & Nutrient LeachingSMEHouseholdsEnergy transmission,transportation & saleIndustryEnergyAdministrationScienceInternational OrganisationsNGOsTransaction costsCostsActorsBenefitsResources Conversion & Products End-useFarm workers, LandlessEmploymentExport & CompetitionEnvironment AdministrationJuergens, FAO, 2004Overview of Conversion Pathways (biomass and waste) Solid Biomass *Sugar-richcropsOil cropsWet Biomass *GasificationPyrolysisFermentationExtractionAnaerobicDigestionResources Conversion Technologies Fuels MarketsCHPTransportFuelsBiogasDME Dimethyl EtherEthanolMethanolF-TropschDieselCH4BiodieselCO+H2EsterificationBiooilNotes:  • Combustion not shown • * Includes Municipal waste• Synthesis gas requires catalysts for upgrading• Indicates requirement of reformerBiologicalMechanicalThermochemical  BiologicalH2Source: DG TREN (Maniatis)Includes:• Herbaceous Perennialse.g. Micsanthus, switchgrass • Woody PerennialsShort rotation coppicee.g.willow, poplar• Straw and Forest Residues• Municipal Wastee.g Wheat, Maize, Sugar Beete.g. Rape, Canola Also waste fats and oilsATMOSPHERIC CO2ATMOSPHERIC CO2EthanolCO2-Capture by Photosynthesis- crop growth -CO2-Release by End Use- combustion in vehicles -Carbon Capture & SequestrationCO2Gas MarketsLeakage?GHGs[N2O+CH4]GHGs[CO2]GHGsFossilEnergyFossilEnergyFossilEnergyCo-productsOther Inputs e.g. waterGHGs[CO2, N2O, CH4]Other Inputs e.g. waterRole of AD!Somerset Preliminary Results Based on RTFO Defaults050100150200250300350400Gasoline - onlyWheat EtOH- FranceWheat EtOH- CanadaWheat EtOH- UKBrazil SugarcaneUK SugarbeetUS MaizeUK-'best'UK-'good'UK-baseUK-worstgCO2eq/kmgCO2e/car.kmWheat Grain‘Worst case’ GHG savings between 53% to -25%Using ‘country level (conservative) default factors’ as defined by the UK-Renewable Transport Fuel’s Obligation Reporting Requirements (RTFO, 2007)UK- RTFO implications for E85 use in SomersetIn practice UK Wheat-ethanol is likely to be closer to Brazil’s120gCO2/km tailpipe = c. 132 gCO2eq/km LCAWhat are the components of a credible [sustainability] scheme?• Standards or set of criteria which defines ‘sustainable’• Independent certification or verification to confirm standard is implemented• Accreditation to control certification bodies • Product traceability / supply chain controlSee Nusbaum, Pro-forests, 2007: www.ProForest.netProForest Standards → Principles → Criteria → Indicators• Principles‘general tenets of sustainable production’• Criteria‘Conditions to be met to achieve these tenets’• IndicatorsHow a farm, producer or company could prove that a particular criterion is metNeed to distinguish between ‘direct’ and ‘in-direct’ impactsPrinciples and Criteria for Biofuel CropsEnvironmental standards for biofuel crops comprise the following 7 “Principles”, “Criteria.”:• Conservation of carbon stocks – Protection of above-ground carbon– Protection of soil carbon• Conservation of biodiversity– Conservation of important ecosystems & species– Basic good biodiversity practices• Sustainable use of water resources– Efficient water use in water critical areas – Avoidance of diffuse water pollution• Maintenance of soil fertility– Protection of soil structure and avoidance of erosion– Maintain nutrient status– Good fertiliser practice• Good agricultural practice– Use of inputs complies with relevant legislation – Use of inputs justified by documented problem– Safe handling of materials• Waste management – Waste management complies with relevant legislation – Safe storage and segregation of wastes• [GHG emissions from biofuels- not discussed here]Development of Meta-standard schemeReporting FrameworkACCS (UK)Multilateral actionsSCEUREP GAPRSPO- PalmRTRS - SoySC SCSCSCBSI - SugarcaneArea-wide monitoring Critical ecosystem fundSustainable investment planningHarmonisation & Extension2006 2007 2008 2009 2010RFA – Small farmersSCSC = supplementary criteriaAfter Tipper et al, 2006Draft(ing) A Meta-StandardMeasuring / Monitoring Direct & Indirect ImpactsSome Principles and criteria require BOTH direct and indirect indicators, for example:• Conservation of carbon stocks (Principle)– Protection of above-ground carbon (Criteria)• No exploitation of protected land (indicator)– Reference date is very important here!• Crop type/ residue retention / yield as proxy• Good land management or agricultural practice…– Protection of soil carbon (Criterion) • Crop type (indicator)• Harvesting of residues?• Soil type• Good land management or agricultural practice…• Previous land-use type– Reference date/system is very important here!Assurance Pyramid – credibility and complexity -PrinciplesInternational StandardLocally Applied StandardCriteriaIndicatorsMEASURE-MENTSPRECISION & ComplexityCONSENSUSAdapted from: Jim Smith, BSI Professional Standards Services (his presentation to LCVP on 18Feb05)Auditing, verification and accreditation• Tracking chain-of-custody:– Track and Trace– Book and Claim (equivalence)– Mass Balance• Accreditation of certifiers• Acceptability of the relationship between indicators / criteria and principles…Including GHG-certifn & sustainability assurance national policy• Initial reporting requirements assess the scale of sustainability issues and quantify GHG savings– Reporting encourages corporate social & environmental responsibility from fuel suppliers• Robust sustainability reporting & assurance systems are needed to manage adverse social / environmental impacts– Mandatory requirements may breach trade rules• A future incentive scheme would link award of RTFO certificates to the biofuels C-intensity • Reporting of GHG saving is appropriate for testing new systems, but without incentives:– The market will source predominately low cost fuels -with a low GHG balance– £ / t C saved will be higher– Higher GHG saving processes are not encouraged– No incentives for new (including advanced conversion / 2nd Generation) technologies Incentive scheme would link award of certificates to GHG saving00.20.40.60.811.21.41.61.820% 25% 50% 75% 100%GHG saving compared to petrol / dieselCertificates issues1 certificate for 1l fuel with 50% GHG savingRationale for certification• Biofuel supply chains can be very complex– Geographically long and dispersed – almost all countries will be self-producers and importers e.g. Brazil– Very diverse and increasingly diverse• For most indicators biofuels range from significantly better than the fossil fuel being replaced to worse than them– These indicators cover a very broad range of potential impacts – and they can be both direct and indirect• International trade rules do not allow direct discrimination against imported products e.g. can’t simply say Malaysian palm oil biodiesel is bad and so won’t allow it (fuel or feedstock) to be imported.• Biofuels are becoming cost-competitive – doing nothing is not an option• Volumetric or production-based policy support may result in a race to the bottom• Assurance and certification could act as the basis for a carbon-tax or other performance based reward systems.– It requires robust and practical methodologies– The continued involvement of the main stakeholders including scientists, industry – leading to public acceptability?Assurance – what it can and can’t do• Existing examples of EA capture most (if not all) of the indicators necessary, including; PEFC and FSC in the forestry sectorBUT:• EA in forestry has not led to tangible reductions in deforestation or improvements to management outside the certified areas• EA is unlikely to solve socio-environmental problems such as conflict over resourcesAssurance – what it can and can’t do• EA is not an effective substitute for good governance and regulation of natural resources.  The best outcomes are achieved where good governance and EA go hand-in-hand • Does not protect smallholders from the deflation of global commodity markets.  Assurance schemes tend to advantage larger players, – “group assurance schemes” can facilitate small producer entry.• The credibility of EA schemes, as perceived by major NGOs, is largely dependent on the degree of participation and consultation in standard development.• “Good practice” in the development of environmental standards has been set out by ISEAL.Biofuels, Trade, CertifnHerman Daly- ‘Economics in a Full world’On Trade:‘Free trade would not be feasible in a world having both sustainable and unsustainable economies, because the former would necessarily count many costs to the environment and future that would be ignored in the growth economies.  Unsustainable economies could then under-price their sustainable rivals, not by being more efficient but simply because they had not paid the cost of sustainability.  Regulated trade under rules that compensated for these differences could exist, as could free trade among nations that were equally committed to sustainability.  Many people regard such restrictions on trade as onerous, but in fact trade is currently heavily regulated in ways that are detrimental to the environment.’• Economics (Stern, 2007)– Capital costs– Operation & Maintenance costs– Land ‘rental’ costs / social costs• Understanding ‘Direct’ & ‘Indirect Effects’– Read (2007)– Searchinger et al + Fargione et al (2008)– Galbraith (2005)Mitigating Climate ChangeUK RTFO policy targetsAnnual  RTFO Supplier Target 2008 – 09 2009 – 10 2010 –11Percentage of feedstock meeting a Qualifying Environmental Standard30% 50% 80%Annual GHG saving of fuel supplied 40% 45% 50%Data reporting of fuel characteristics 50% 70% 90%Source: Carbon and Sustainability Reporting Within the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation -Technical Guidance. RFA. 2008Main National / Global Programmes• UK– Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (April 2008)http://www.renewablefuelsagency.org/• Netherlands– Cramer Commission (May07)http://www.mvo.nl/biobrandstoffen/download/070427-Cramer-FinalReport_EN.pdf• Global Round Table on Sustainable Biofuels– Steering Board request for feedback and comments on draft principles from stakeholders around the world (05jun07)http://www.bioenergywiki.net/index.php/Roundtable_on_Sustainable_Biofuels• UN-FAO’s Global Bioenergy Platform? http://www.fao.org/sd/en2_en.htm? Key input into the widely miss-quoted UN-Energy (2007) report• G8+5 Global Bioenergy Partnership? GBEP-Secretariat@fao.org and coming soon:? www.globalbioenergy.org• Porter Alliance (UK)? http://www.porteralliance.org.uk? Major UK research network dedicated to the sustainable exploitation of biomassThe END

Setting Global Standards for Sustainable Biofuels Development

https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/27634/1/Woods-GlobalStandards_Porter_15feb09.pdf

Setting Global Standards for Sustainable Biofuels Development

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Scholarly Materials And Research @ Georgia Tech