Development of international sustainable biofuels criteria, standards and certifications schemes
From BioenergyWiki
Bioenergy > Sustainability > Development of international sustainable biofuels criteria, standards and certifications schemes
The following is an excerpt from "Potential Impacts of Biofuels on Biodiversity," a paper prepared by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), April 2008 (document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/26). Wiki links have been added.
"VI. D.
Development of international sustainable biofuels criteria, standards and certifications schemes
48. One potential measure to further promote the positive impacts and reduce the negative impacts of biofuel production is the development of biodiversity-related sustainability criteria, standards and certification schemes. Such schemes can promote the sustainable production, conversion, use, and trade of biofuels. Several Parties and international organizations, including the Global Bioenergy Partnership, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization (International Bioenergy Platform) and the International Energy Agency, as well as the International Biofuels Forum and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuel, are currently developing guidelines related to this subject. Further several international non-governmental organizations such the World Wide Fund for Nature, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have already proposed criteria or certification models.
49. In order to be effective any sustainability criteria, standards or certification schemes for biofuels should be integrated into sound policy frameworks. There is a need to ensure that any such schemes are consistent with existing environmental and development policy frameworks, in particular the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and the global commitment to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 and development plans and poverty reduction strategies and plans.
50. Similarly it could be possible to learn from existing criteria, standards and certification schemes such as the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil or the Forest Stewardship Council. One lesson from existing schemes, is that while they can be effective in promoting sustainable production in markets that are sensitive to environmental issues, their overall beneficial effect can be undermined if goods from unsustainable production can still be sold in other markets. There is thus a need for such criteria, standards and certification schemes to be developed and adopted globally. Moreover, given the global effects of biofuel production as mediated through commodity prices and consequent land-use change, such criteria, standards and certification schemes would need to fully account for such indirect effects on biodiversity. This would be a very challenging task.
51. The certification of biofuels cannot be the only vehicle to translate effective sustainability standards into practice however. Due to the restrictions to biofuel production, displacement effects can still occur, even if full compliance with standards is achieved in the certification scheme. As explained above, specific support policies may also generate indirect negative environmental and biodiversity effects, possibly in other countries. Therefore, additional policies and policy reforms are needed to safeguard against negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. Emerging decision support tools, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization's recently launched Bioenergy Assessment Tool or their emerging Bioenergy Environmental Impact Analysis framework, could assist government decision making in this regard."
| Bioenergy issues | edit | |
| Agriculture (Land use) | Climate change | Economics | Environment | Social (Poverty) | Trade | ||
