RSB principle on Climate Change and GHG

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Bioenergy > Sustainability standards > Initiatives > Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels > RSB Principles and Criteria (Version 0) > RSB principle on Climate Change and GHG

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels
Note: This RSB-related page is not actively updated.
For up-to-date information on the RSB, see the BioenergyWiki RSB page or the RSB Website

The RSB has released "Version 2.0" of the "Principles on Sustainable Biofuel Production"
Read more about the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels.

http://www.bioenergywiki.net/index.php?title=Template:RSBArchive&action=editright


RSB principles
and criteria (Version 0) 		edit

Quick links to each principle
and its associated discussion page:
  1. Legality (Discussion)
  2. Consultation (Discussion)
  3. Climate change (Discussion)
  4. Human & labor rights (Discussion)
  5. Rural & social development (Discussion)
  6. Food security (Discussion)
  7. Conservation (Discussion)
  8. Soil (Discussion)
  9. Water (Discussion)
  10. Air (Discussion)
  11. Technologies, etc. (Discussion )
  12. Land rights (Discussion)

(To comment on this principle, and its associated criteria and guidance, please use the Discussion Page.)

PRINCIPLE
3. Biofuels shall contribute to climate change mitigation by significantly reducing GHG emissions as compared to fossil fuels.
 Key guidance: The aim of this principle is to establish an acceptable standard methodology for comparing the GHG benefits of different biofuels in a way that can be written into regulations and enforced in standards. The overriding requirement is therefore a methodology that is not susceptible to subjective assumptions or manipulation.
The fossil fuel reference shall be global, based on IEA projections of fossil fuel mixes.

CRITERIA

  • 3.a Emissions shall be estimated via a consistent approach to lifecycle assessment, with system boundaries from well to tank, including carbon embedded in the fuel but excluding vehicle technology.
  • 3.b At the point of verification, measured or default values shall be provided for the major steps in the biofuel production chain.
  • 3.c Default values from GHG emissions from direct land use change shall be estimated using IPCC Tier 1 values. Better performance than IPCC default values can be proven through models or field experiments.
  • 3.d GHG emissions from indirect land use change, i.e. that arise through macroeconomic effects of biofuels production, shall be minimized. There is no established methodology to determine them. Practical steps that shall be taken will include:
    • Maximising use of waste and residues as feedstocks, idle land, waste land, improvements to yields, and efficient crops;
    • Coordinating policies between biofuels and other uses of land to encourage positive indirect effects, which could involve cooperation with specialised agencies; and
    • Monitoring indirect land use changes within manageable areas.
  • 3.e The preferred methodology for GHG lifecycle assessment is as such:
    • The functional unit shall be CO2 equivalent (in kg) per Mega Joule [kgCO2equ/MJ], including the CO2 equivalent GHG emissions from the eventual fuel combustion
    • The greenhouse gases covered shall include CO2, N2O and CH4. Global Warming Potential values and lifetimes from the IPCC shall be used.
    • Substitution shall be used to treat co- and by-products. Allocation by energy content may be used for energy co-products. Allocation by market value may be used if substitution is not possible.

Key guidance: The indicators shall include guidelines for how substitution, allocation by energy content, and allocation by market value should be used, as there is a risk of mistakes and variability in results

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