How biofuel policies backfire: Misguided goals, inefficient mechanisms, and political-ecological blind spots

Oliveira, Gustavo de L. T.; McKay, Ben M.; Plank, Christina

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2017.03.036

Cited by 67 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(109 reference statements)

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“…The new policy also proposes to develop a mechanism to privatize the decarbonization credit allocation process [47]. EU: Although biofuels were widely used in several European countries (e.g., France and Germany) before and during World War I, the oil crisis of 1973 provided the impetus for revitalizing the industry for enhancing energy security and rural development [48]. However, large-scale biofuel production started only after the 2003 Biofuel Directive established the biofuel-fossil fuel blending target of 7.5%.…”

Section: Review Of Energy Policies In Leading Biofuel Producing and Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Comparative Advantage in Biofuel Policy Adoption in Latin America

Acharya

Perez-Pena

2020

Sustainability

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The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether renewable energy initiatives recently developed and implemented in Latin American and Caribbean countries are consistent with their national resource endowments, policy goals, and the general postulates of economic theory. Most classical and neoclassical theories suggest that international trade enhances economic efficiency and welfare of both parties involved in the exchange when they focus on producing and distributing products and services in which they have a comparative advantage. To achieve this goal, we analyze ethanol policy drivers using panel data from four major economies—Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Since there is no universally accepted measure of comparative advantage, three separate models with different indicators—relative feedstock price, comparative export performance, and revealed comparative advantage—along with control variables, including the availability of production resources such as land and farm labor, are estimated. As expected, results show that the comparative advantage in feedstock production was one of the crucial factors in determining biofuel policy development and implementation in the four countries.

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Section: Review Of Energy Policies In Leading Biofuel Producing and Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Comparative Advantage in Biofuel Policy Adoption in Latin America

Acharya

Perez-Pena

2020

Sustainability

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“…As a result, besides preserving the food system by limiting the scale of land use, an SSPI can reap the benefits given by "windows of opportunities" which can increase after technological and institutional challenges are overcome (Malberba, 2002(Malberba, , 2003. Therefore, the engagement of the State and its institutions is a central feature of this system, giving the necessary support for the production of ethanol, and for research and development (Pedro, 2008;Maia, 2009;Varrichio, 2012;Oliveira et al, 2017). Figure 1 shows the actors of the SSPI whose actions are closely articulated in such a way as to develop a cluster organized to produce ethanol for mutual purposes, highlighting the role of technological innovation.…”

Section: A Strategic Approach To Harmonize Food and Biofuel Productiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, in the SSPI both State and private companies are brought to a common ground from which strategies are shared to spur the ethanol sector to a more competitive and dynamic position. In other words, there are different interest groups working within those strategies Oliveira et al, 2017).…”

Section: A Strategic Approach To Harmonize Food and Biofuel Productiomentioning

confidence: 99%

How an Innovative Sugarcane Biofuel System can Prevent a Clash between Food and Energy in Brazil

Paula

Pereira

Parmentier

2019

J. Env. Assmt. Pol. Mgmt.

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Food commodities have been used worldwide for both human consumption and energy, amid concerns of environmental degradation and damaging effects on local food systems. Presently, strategies of rural development have encompassed the use of green resources to produce biofuels and an agenda of food security. We argue that by the strengthening of a Sectorial System of Production and Innovation involving farming activity, industrial transformation and institutional support, production for food and for energy can be balanced. Our discussion contributes to the resolution of the potential conflict between agro-energy and food production and the role of public policies in stimulating secondgeneration ethanol based on remaining biomass. Based on the current literature and empirical evidences, the prospects for sugarcane ethanol in Brazil are examined, bearing in mind the development of a system able to produce second-generation ethanol, as a strategy able to mitigate negative effects on food security.

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“…Arguably, one of the first attempts by the EU to decrease the negative impacts of its consumption on tropical forests was through its 2009 Renewable Energy Directive, which required the introduction of sustainability criteria [7] to ensure biofuel production did not impact biodiverse primary forests [8]. The development of EU sustainability criteria was influenced by voluntary certification schemes, such as the RSPO [9], but both have been criticised for their limited ability to achieve sustainability in practice [10,11]. These efforts are now increasing, most recently, with adoption of a European Parliament resolution in 2017, which advocated restrictions on palm oil imports because of their negative environmental impacts, including adverse impacts on forests [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Embodied Deforestation” as a New EU Policy Debate to Tackle Tropical Forest Loss: Assessing Implications for REDD+ Performance

Weatherley-Singh

Gupta²

2018

Forests

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The need to tackle international drivers of deforestation has long been acknowledged; but remains little addressed via policy measures. In the European Union (EU), a new policy debate is emerging around the concept of "embodied deforestation", which targets EU agricultural commodity imports as drivers of deforestation. The notion views deforestation as an externality generated by EU imports associated with tropical deforestation. Our article examines whether this concept represents a shift in tackling international-level drivers of tropical deforestation within EU policy. We also examine, from a networked governance perspective, whether this new debate fuels further fragmentation or rather a move towards a more integrated approach to combating tropical forest loss within EU policy, and what the implications are for other initiatives, such as the climate change related "reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation" (REDD+). Our analysis draws on an extensive analysis of EU policy documents and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and EU decision-makers. We find that, despite growing debate around the concept of embodied deforestation, policy measures necessary to reduce the impact of EU consumption of agricultural commodities associated with tropical deforestation have not yet been developed. We conclude that "embodied deforestation" remains more an idea than reality within EU policy to date, with the burden of responsibility for addressing international deforestation drivers still largely remaining on developing countries. There is still potential, however, for this debate to lead to a more integrated approach to tackling tropical deforestation within EU policy, if it comes to be seen, together with REDD+, as one of a number of linked approaches to EU efforts to combat deforestation.

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How biofuel policies backfire: Misguided goals, inefficient mechanisms, and political-ecological blind spots

Cited by 67 publications

References 62 publications

Role of Comparative Advantage in Biofuel Policy Adoption in Latin America

Role of Comparative Advantage in Biofuel Policy Adoption in Latin America

How an Innovative Sugarcane Biofuel System can Prevent a Clash between Food and Energy in Brazil

“Embodied Deforestation” as a New EU Policy Debate to Tackle Tropical Forest Loss: Assessing Implications for REDD+ Performance

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