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Latest in Sustainable Land Use
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IEEP sets out new sustainability criteria for biofuels post 2020
Defining effective and workable sustainability criteria for biofuels is one of the critical steps in decarbonising Europe’s energy sector. Such criteria must provide the necessary safeguards for the use of bioresources in Europe, as well as the policy and investment certainty required for sustainable deployment.
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Sustainability criteria for biofuels post 2020
Defining effective and workable sustainability criteria is one of the critical steps in decarbonising Europe’s energy sector. They must provide the necessary safeguards for the use of bioresources in Europe, as well as the policy and investment certainty required for sustainable deployment.
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Land suitability assessments for bioenergy feedstocks in the EU – a review of data sources
Current data availability is inadequate to undertake a detailed national or European level study of land areas that are underutilised and could be considered available for bioenergy production within the EU.
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Assessing sustainable biomass availability
Dr. Ben Allen presented IEEP’s views on the sustainable use of biomass at an international conference in Brussels. Understanding the scale of the resource is a key part of determining appropriate policy intervention and ensuring commercial viability.
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Space for energy crops – An assessment on the potential contribution of Europe’s energy future
The overall energy potential that can be produced from growing dedicated energy crops on ‘spare’ land in the EU is low. This new report explores the potential for the additional production of energy crops in Europe on land not already used for food production, forestry, or providing other important services, and assesses some of the challenges associated with increasing output.
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Press release - Biofuels don’t deliver but bioresources have promise
Biofuels produced from conventional agricultural crops deliver only limited reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and compete for limited supplies of land.
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Options for sustainable food and agriculture in the EU
How should Europe respond to the increased demands on our food and agriculture systems arising from global population growth, changing diets, and competing demands on agricultural land? This report offers a view on how the EU could play a role in meeting these challenges in the coming decades and sets out some of the options which merit particular attention.
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Europe’s role in feeding the world in 2050
IEEP presents views on how Europe should respond to the increased demands on our food and agriculture systems arising from global population growth, changing diets, and competing demands on agricultural land.
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Ministers place biofuels in a policy vacuum
Energy Ministers today failed to agree reforms to the EU laws that promote the use of biofuels for transport. Current EU legislation is flawed and unfit for the purpose of delivering verifiable greenhouse gas emission reductions from the transport sector.
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Interactions between climate change and agriculture; and between biodiversity and agriculture in Europe
What should be Europe’s role in feeding the world in 2050? This IEEP report for the European Parliament describes options for increasing the productivity of European agriculture whilst adapting to climate change, reducing emissions, and providing biodiversity and ecosystem service benefits from agriculture.
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Ecosystem services of boreal mires and peatlands in Finland
Mire ecosystems are well-known for their unique species and habitats of high conservation value and they also provide a range of benefits to our societies and economies. This publication outlines the results of a pioneering project that aimed to identify and valuate ecosystem services provided by pristine mires and managed peatlands in Finland.
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Biofuels and ILUC – Q&A
Recurring questions on biofuels and ILUC are addressed in IEEP’s latest report to help build a robust policy to deal with ILUC and other impacts of large scale production of first generation biofuels.
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Land as an Environmental Resource
How can we meet the different and often conflicting demands we make on our limited supply of rural land in Europe? A more strategic approach to the way in which land is used is needed than has been the case in the past. This report for DG Environment looks at the data, the challenges and the policy options for Europe.
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Land use mapping for sustainable biofuels
IEEP and WWF join forces to define criteria and principles to guide the mapping of appropriate land use to ensure sustainable biofuel crops.
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Addressing ILUC? The European Commission’s proposal on indirect land use change
The European Commission’s proposal on indirect land use change – what’s in it for mitigating emissions? Read IEEP’s latest Biofuel ExChange briefing.
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Systemic approach to adaptation to climate change and renewable energy harnessing (Biomass and Mini-hydro)
Biochar has the potential to both mitigate greenhouse gases, and to act as an adaptation measure in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change. Based on its compatibility with the appropriate soil properties, it could increase the resilience of soil to erosion.
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Mobilising Cereal Straw in the EU to Feed Advanced Biofuel Production
This IEEP report, commissioned by Novozymes, considers the existing barriers, environmental risks and opportunities and the potential agricultural policy stimuli needed in order to mobilise cereal straw for advanced biofuel production in the EU.
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Securing Biomass for Energy
A new IEEP report outlining how to develop a UK bioenergy sector that mitigates environmental risks and promotes win-win situations for renewables deployment and biodiversity.
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The Land-Use Implications of EU Bioenergy Policy: Going Beyond ILUC
A new IEEP briefing discusses some of the modelling work that is undertaken in support of quantifying the land use change impact of biofuel use.
Highlights
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Sustainability criteria for biofuels post 2020
Defining effective and workable sustainability criteria is one of the critical steps in decarbonising Europe’s energy sector. They must provide the necessary safeguards for the use of bioresources in Europe, as well as the policy and investment certainty required for sustainable deployment.
-
Land suitability assessments for bioenergy feedstocks in the EU – a review of data sources
Current data availability is inadequate to undertake a detailed national or European level study of land areas that are underutilised and could be considered available for bioenergy production within the EU.
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Biofuels and ILUC – Q&A
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Land as an Environmental Resource