There is a prima facie concern in Europe about the extent to which a developing biofuels sector, with its potentially substantive demand for biomass, can be accommodated within the existing resource base without putting excessive further pressure on biodiversity, ecosystems and the services they provide. A new report by IEEP, commissioned as part of the European Climate Foundation funded BioFrontiers initiative, sets out a series of legislative sustainability criteria that aim to address these concerns. Set in a legislative context, sustainability criteria are a mechanism for steering the pattern and scale of resource use while protecting key environmental parameters and involving stakeholders in a structured way.

Europe is at a key decision point in developing it’s thinking around how to improve the sustainability of bioenergy and biofuels in the coming decade. The public consultation on the preparation of a sustainable bioenergy policy for the period after 2020 closes on 10 May and will form a key part of the 2030 climate and energy package. Developing a clear and sustainable trajectory for the use of land and bioresources in Europe’s energy mix is a necessary part of this process.

New IEEP report can be found here whereas the public consultation can be accessed here.

For more information on our work in this area, please contact Ben Allen (ballen@ieep.eu).