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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool that may be used to quantify the environmental impacts of products and services. It includes all processes, from cradle-to-grave, along the supply chain of the product. When analysing energy systems, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (primarily CO2, CH4 and N2O) are the impact of primary concern. In using LCA to determine the climate change mitigation benefits of bioenergy, the life cycle emissions of the bioenergy system are compared with the emissions for a reference energy system.

Urbana—Representatives from academia, government, industry, and the private sector have joined together to form the Illinois Biomass Working Group (IBWG), a coalition organized to study near-term uses for biomass in Illinois.

Ethanol use in vehicle fuel is increasing worldwide, but the potential cancer risk and
ozone-related health consequences of a large-scale conversion from gasoline to ethanol
have not been examined. Here, a nested global-through-urban air pollution/weather
forecast model is combined with high-resolution future emission inventories, population
data, and health effects data to examine the effect of converting from gasoline to E85 on
cancer, mortality, and hospitalization in the U.S. as a whole and Los Angeles in

Biomass can be used as a renewable (green or CO2 neutral) energy source, locally and readily available in large parts of the world. Many studies have been carried out that quantify the potential of the world to produce bioenergy (e.g. (Leemans et al. 1996; Fischer et al. 2001a; Hoogwijk et al. 2004; Smeets et al. 2004a, b). Results indicate that various world regions are in theory capable of producing significant amounts of bioenergy crops without endangering food supply or further deforestation.

Although much is known about ecosystem services, a number of research gaps exist, and there are opportunities to strengthen collaboration. One of the major goals of this workshop was to discuss the current work of federal agencies in ecosystem services’ R&D related to sustainability while, at the same time, identify opportunities for program/project collaboration. Ecosystem services are the ecological processes that sustain and fulfill human life. General distinctions exist between provisioning, cultural, and regulating ecosystem services.

Issue 1: Ability of Modern Bioenergy to Provide Energy Services fo the Poor
Issue 2: Implications for Agro-Industrial Development and Job Creation
Issue 3: Health and Gender Implications of Modern Bioenergy
Issue 4: Implications for the Structure of Agriculture

Issue 5: Implications for Food Security
Issue 6: Implications for Government Budget
Issue 7: Implications for Trade, Foreign Exchange Balances and Energy Security
Issue 8: Impacts on Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management
Issue 9: Implications for Climate Change

Biofuels are presented in rich countries as a solution to two crises: the climate crisis and the oil crisis. But they may not be a solution to either, and instead are contributing to a third: the current food crisis.

This paper reviews various studies that have examined the relationship between corn used in ethanol production and corn prices. They suggest increased corn demand for ethanol could account for 25 to 50 percent of the corn price increase expected from 2006/07 to 2008/09.

This study examines the impact of biofuel production on the enjoyment of the human right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger. It follows from internationally recognised human rights that States have a core obligation to ensure freedom from hunger for all, and that any decisions which may negatively affect the enjoyment of the right to food should be reviewed. This has also been reiterated by the UN Human Rights Council in its resolution adopted on 22 May 2008 as the result of its special session on the food crisis from a human rights perspective.

The largest U.S subsidies to fossil fuels are attributed to tax breaks that aid foreign oil production, according to research released by ELI. The study, which reviewed fossil fuel and energy subsidies for Fiscal Years 2002-2008, reveals that the lion’s share of energy subsidies supported energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases. Fossil fuels benefited from approximately $72 billion over the seven-year period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled only $29 billion.

Consensus is growing among scientists, policy makers, and business leaders that concerted action will be needed to address rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. The discussion is now turning to the practical challenges of where and how emissions reductions can best be achieved, at what costs, and over what periods of time.

This study models and assesses the current and future fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas impacts of ethanol produced from three feedstocks; corn grain, corn stover, and switchgrass. A life-cycle assessment approach with an integrated Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis is applied to each of these three bioethanol pathways. Incorporating a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis within a life-cycle model enables one to account for system variability within the agricultural, technological, and geographic arenas.

To study the potential effects of increased biofuel use, we evaluated six representative analyses
of fuel ethanol. Studies that reported negative net energy incorrectly ignored coproducts and used
some obsolete data. All studies indicated that current corn ethanol technologies are much less
petroleum-intensive than gasoline but have greenhouse gas emissions similar to those of gasoline.
However, many important environmental effects of biofuel production are poorly understood.

We assessed the potential impacts of land-use changes resulting from a change in the
current biofuel policy on biodiversity in Europe. We evaluated the possible impact of
both arable and woody biofuel crops on changes in distribution of 313 species pertaining
to different taxonomic groups. Using species-specific information on habitat suitability
as well as land use simulations for three different biofuel policy options, we downscaled
available species distribution data from the original resolution of 50 to 1 km. The

The aspiration for producing algal biofuel is motivated by the desire to replace conventional petroleum fuels, produce fuels domestically, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although, in theory, algae have the potential to produce a large amount of petroleum fuel substitutes and capture carbon emissions, in practice, profitable algal biofuel production has proven quite challenging. This dissertation characterizes the production pathways for producing petroleum fuel substitutes from algae and evaluates constraints on algal biofuel production.

Despite a rapid worldwide expansion of the biofuel industry, there is a lack of consensus within the scientific community about the potential of biofuels to reduce reliance on petroleum and decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although life cycle assessment provides a means to quantify these potential benefits and environmental impacts, existing methods limit direct comparison within and between different biofuel systems because of inconsistencies in performance metrics, system boundaries, and underlying parameter values.

Recent legislative mandates have been enacted at state and federal levels with the purpose of reducing life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation fuels. This legislation encourages the substitution of fossil fuels with ‘low-carbon’ fuels. The burden is put on regulatory agencies to determine the GHG-intensity of various fuels, and those agencies naturally look to science for guidance.

The IPCC SRREN report addresses information needs of policymakers, the private sector and civil society on the potential of renewable energy sources for the mitigation of climate change, providing a comprehensive assessment of renewable energy technologies and related policy and financial instruments. The IPCC report was a multinational collaboration and synthesis of peer reviewed information: Reviewed, analyzed, coordinated, and integrated current high quality information.