World Needs Transport Biofuels

by Bliss Baker (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Global Renewable Fuels Alliance) ... The transport sector is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases (GHGs), estimated to be approximately 25 to 30 percent of global emissions, but has the lowest renewable energy share of any sector. In spite of this (S&T)2 Consultants Inc., the energy and environmental consulting firm, found that in 2014 alone, ethanol use in the transport sector accounted for global GHG emission savings of 168.9 million metric tons.

Despite the fact that biofuel technologies are demonstrated to be effective at reducing GHGs and are affordable and immediately available, their adoption remains far below current potential. According to the International Energy Agency, sustainable biofuels, such as ethanol, could provide 27 percent of the world’s total transport fuel by 2050 and avoid about 2.1 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions per year, with biofuels eventually providing 20 percent of total emission savings in the transport sector.

When you consider that cars typically have a 20-year life span, and that plug-in cars make up just one-tenth of 1 percent of the global car market today, it is clear that the transition to a low-carbon global transport sector will need to rely on biofuels in the short- and medium-term to maximize emission reductions.

In a recent working paper, the International Renewable Energy Agency outlined recommendations to sharply increase the share of biofuels in the transport sector. Its recommendations would see total biofuel demand rise to 500 billion liters (132 billion gallons) within the next 15 years, representing a quadrupling of current annual liquid biofuel demand.

The biofuels industry is not static. Government policies that increase the demand for, and investment in, biofuels will continue to drive research into new technologies and best practices. This, in turn, will promote next-generation biofuels and their associated advantages such as the use of agriculture waste products and increased emission offsets.

With an accelerated time frame for global action on climate change, the challenge for national governments has changed from identifying what actions need to be taken, to finding the best policy direction to achieve them.

Whatever form those policies take, biofuels will have to have a significant and continuing role to play in global efforts to fight climate change. READ MORE