Template:RSB draft principles - wiki version for public editing
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National law
1. Biomass production should comply with all local and national laws, including labor laws and recognizing land and water rights. If such legislation does not exist, international norms shall be the reference.
An International Body be formed that ensures this law is followed through world wide,with no child labour in the whole cycle of biomass/biofuels production activity.
Greenhouse Gas
2. Biofuels should result in lower GHG emissions compared to fossil fuels when analyzed via a lifecycle assessment (with system boundaries from “well to wheel and our tomorrow”). This should include direct and indirect GHG emissions, for instance, from fossil energy used in growing, transporting and processing biofuels. It should also include GHG emissions resulting from land use changes as land is converted to biofuel crop production, or as production for other markets is displaced. It should take a futures attitude of approaching zero emissions by using planned "Carbon Dioxide Sink Creation" as corporate and national social responsibility. For biofuel crops grown on land that historically and originally consisted of forest the carbon of which has entered the atmosphere, this historic CO2 burden must be taken into account in calculating the GHG balance of those fuels.
Environmental Impacts
3. Biomass production should not lead to the destruction or degradation of high conservation value areas, including areas of high biodiversity; habitats of rare, threatened or endangered species; or rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems. (For more information on HCVA: http://hcvnetwork.org/) A system of 'compensated reduction' must be devised in order to make this proposition viable: in highly industrialised countries, rare and unique areas of high biodiversity and rare ecosystems were destroyed long ago to make place for agricultural land. If biofuel crops are grown on this land, they carry a 'historic burden' of biodiversity destruction. Developing countries must be compensated for not destroying or degrading such areas in the future.
4. It should not be the cause either directly or indirectly for displacement of food crops, as seen from a global systems perspective.
5. Biomass production should not degrade or damage soils. Instead it should help recovering degraded land areas through suitable crops when possible, that could also help reducing biofuels-food competition.
6. Biofuels production should not contaminate or deplete water resources.
7. Biofuels production should not lead to air pollution. The use of the biofuel should be compared to the fossil fuel displaced in terms of its effects on local air pollution
8. Whenever biotechnologies are to be used for biomass production, their use must comply with the international rules that are in effect, unless there is scientific evidence about their long-term impact to the contrary
9. Biomass production should not displace crops or practices which then will drive conversion, deforestation. (For example: soy replacing grazing, the soy is certified as sustainable, but deforestation continues because grazing was displaced). The history of deforestation and land-use change in highly industrialised countries has to be taken into account. In many parts in Europe and North America, crops are grown on land that used to consist of forests. A baseline of this 'historic deforestation burden' will have to created, the economic benefits and outcomes of this deforestation calculated on a per capita basis, and then, against this baseline, a ratio of 'allowed deforestation' will be agreed on by industrialised countries and developing countries.
10. Biomass production in forests with representative structures and functions of natural forests should not lead to conversion to less complex ecosystems (e.g. short rotation monoculture, use of non-native tree species, even-aged management, herbicide control of understory, etc.)
Social Impacts
11. Biomass production should not contribute to a deterioration in the well-being of national populations of countries that produce biofuels.
12. Biomass production should not contribute to food insecurity as seen in the context of the global food system.
13. Biomass production must address the issues of child labour and welfare in the under developed countries.
14. Preventive measures are needed to avoid violent conflicts over land use and food security. Instead biomass production must contribute to the well being and quality of life for the economically underprivileged on a planet-wide basis, either directly or indirectly. ruddyconsult
15. Biomass production should increase knowledge dissemination activity and contribute to cohesion and harmony amongst people, on a planet-wide basis.
16. Biomass production should create social security within a community and encourage GHG reduction and waste recyling within the micro lifestyles of all families.
16b. The number of jobs (and income) associated with the biofuel supply chain should be compared to the number of jobs associated with the fossil fuel displaced
Traceability
17. Biomass production and value chains must be traceable to enable consumers / end users to differentiate between sustainable and unsustainable sources.
