PR90477

LONDON, July 6, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

NEW REPORT FROM GLOBAL PRIVATE-SECTOR COALITION URGES INDUSTRY AND POLICY

MAKERS TO PRIORITISE BIORESOURCES FOR MATERIALS, AVIATION AND NICHE ENERGY

APPLICATIONS

The Energy Transitions Commission (ETC)'s latest report sets out how rapidly

increasing demand for bioresources could outstrip sustainable supply,

undermining climate mitigation efforts and harming biodiversity, unless

alternative zero-carbon options are rapidly scaled-up and use of bioresources

carefully prioritised.

The report, Bioresources Within a Net-Zero Emissions Economy: Making a

Sustainable Approach Possible, makes plain that, while bioresources are in

principle renewable, not all forms of biomass use are beneficial from an

environmental perspective: not all biomass is 'good' biomass. To be

sustainable, biomass production should have low lifecycle GHG emissions.  Its

production should take into account the 'opportunity cost' related to carbon

that could be sequestered without intervention, and must not:

- compete with use of land for food production,

- trigger any land use change that could release carbon stocks into the

atmosphere (especially deforestation),

- negatively impact biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Thus, biomass sources for use as energy should be limited to waste & residues,

dedicated energy crop production on degraded / marginal lands, or where current

crop / pastureland can be released.

The ETC is a coalition of more than 45 leaders from global energy companies,

energy-intensive industries, financial institutions and environmental advocates

– including ArcelorMittal, Bank of America, BP, Development Research Center of

the State Council of China, EBRD, Heathrow, HSBC, Iberdrola, Orsted, Tata

Group, Volvo Group and the World Resources Institute among others.

Report Highlights

On the basis of strict sustainability criteria, the ETC estimates that a

prudent scenario for the quantity of clearly sustainable biomass available by

mid-century without major changes in land use, technology, and consumer

behaviour is c.40-60 EJ/year. There is a potential upside of up to c.60 EJ/

year if, and only if, i), productive land is freed up by a major shift to

plant-based diets or synthetic meat, improved agricultural productivity and

reduced food waste; ii), the production of seaweed-for-energy significantly

scales up; and iii), organic waste collection and management is improved. This

prudent scenario is much lower than many climate mitigation scenarios assume,

including IEA and IRENA scenarios.

As countries and companies endeavour to reduce their GHG emissions, the use of

biomass as an alternative lower-carbon fuel has grown dramatically due to its

easy substitution as a "drop-in" substitute for fossil fuels for industrial

combustion and feedstock purposes. Many sectors and applications across the

mobility, industry and buildings sectors currently plan to use biomass as a key

decarbonisation route. But potential demands far exceed sustainable supply.

Left unchecked, these trends would heighten the risks of unsustainable

management of the bio resource, including deforestation, biodiversity loss and

soil depletion. The report reveals that current policies often fail to consider

claims on bioresources holistically, incentivising uses in sectors where

alternatives exist, and jeopardising a sustainable management of the resource.

Alternative zero-carbon solutions, such as clean electrification or hydrogen,

must be developed rapidly to lessen the need for bio-based solutions. Dramatic

cost reductions have already been seen and further reductions are expected in

renewable power generation, clean hydrogen production, and grid stability

management. Industry and policymakers should therefore limit the use of

bioresources in applications where cheaper alternatives exist or are within

reach. These include road transport, bulk power generation without CCS,

residential heating and shipping – with the exception of select specialised

niches (e.g. local waste-to-energy district heat networks), especially in those

locations where bioresources are locally abundant.

Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, said: "Biomass can

make a really valuable contribution to the world's decarbonisation. But truly

sustainable biomass is limited in volume; so its use must be restricted to

priority sectors where alternative decarbonisation options don't exist. The

good news is that clean electrification and hydrogen often provide a cheaper

solution. The challenge for policymakers is to develop those alternatives fast,

while supporting targeted use of biomass where it is most needed – in

materials, aviation and for carbon removals – with a constant attention to

ensuring supply of biomass is truly sustainable."

The ETC encourages a prioritisation of biomass for use in a few sectors where

there is limited to no alternative:

- It argues that biomass is best used for materials rather than as an energy

source, taking advantage of its inherent characteristics and avoiding

unnecessary air pollution from combustion. Key uses include as timber, pulp and

paper and other wood products or as a bio-feedstock for the plastics industry.

Few uses in the form of energy stand the test of resource efficiency and

expected long term cost-competitiveness. Aviation is the one exception:

biofuels could play a major role in the next decades as synthetic fuels made

from power-to-liquids may not reach cost-competitiveness and scale fast enough

to meet the needs of the sector.

- In addition, applications will be appropriate where bioenergy use plus CCS

(known as BECCS or BiCRS) can deliver carbon removals, which will be needed in

addition to rapid in-sector decarbonisation to limit the global temperature to

1.5°C. Effective carbon pricing to make this economic is therefore required.

Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Action Champion, COP26, said: "The ETC's

latest report illustrates the need to reprioritise sustainable biomass use to

those sectors with limited decarbonisation options. Current trends are leading

us to unsustainable levels of bioresource use, putting climate mitigation goals

and biodiversity at risk. Alternative zero-carbon solutions, such as clean

electrification or hydrogen, can and must be developed rapidly to lessen the

need for bio-based solutions".

Recommendations

The report sets out four priorities for industry and governments to ensure an

optimal use of bioresources:

- Defining and enforcing clear sustainability standards for biomass supply:

Adopting comprehensive and specific biomass sourcing standards, banning

conversion of preserved natural ecosystems to commercial biomass exploitation;

creating mechanisms to allow transparency and traceability of biomass supply

chains; improved data analysis and monitoring to inform land use policies.

- Pursuing opportunities to further increase sustainable supply: improving

waste collection; innovations in seaweed-for-energy production; encouraging

massive dietary change and technological developments to reduce land needed for

animal meat and food production.

- Creating the conditions for a prioritised use of bioresources: use of carbon

pricing to allocate scare, sustainable supply, alongside policies to discourage

suboptimal and encourage priority uses; developing explicit national and local

strategies taking into account local land-use.

- Supporting key technologies enabling efficient, sustainable supply and use of

bioresources: improving efficiency of existing land use; increasing waste

collection; targeting funding towards emerging bioenergy and biomaterial

technologies.

"A renewable energy future – built on cheap, abundant zero-carbon electricity –

is within our grasp. In this timely report, the Energy Transitions Commission

reviews the role of low carbon, sustainable bio-energy across the economy. The

world has a fixed quantity of land, while demand for food, fiber, carbon

storage and biodiversity continues to grow. We can't have an 'all of the above'

strategy; there are real trade-offs in play, requiring informed decisions. This

analysis helps open that dialogue," said Manish Bapna, WRI Interim President

and CEO.

To read the full Bioresources Within a Net-Zero Emissions Economy: Making a

Sustainable Approach Possible report, please visit:

https://www.energy-transitions.org/publications/bioresources-within-a-net-zero-emissions-economy/

Bioresources Within a Net-Zero Emissions Economy: Making a Sustainable Approach

Possible was developed by the Commissioners with the support of the ETC

Secretariat, provided by SYSTEMIQ. They bring together and build on past ETC

publications, developed in close consultation with hundreds of experts from

companies, industry initiatives, international organisations, non-governmental

organisations and academia.

The report draws upon analyses carried out by ETC knowledge partners SYSTEMIQ

and BloombergNEF, and elements of this report were developed in close

collaboration with Material Economics. This report draws heavily on work

developed by the Food and Land Use Coalition in partnership with IIASA and the

World Resource Institute. We also reference analyses from the International

Energy Agency and IRENA. We warmly thank our knowledge partners and

contributors for their inputs.

This report constitutes a collective view of the Energy Transitions Commission.

Members of the ETC endorse the general thrust of the arguments made in this

report but should not be taken as agreeing with every finding or

recommendation. The institutions with which the Commissioners are affiliated

have not been asked to formally endorse the report.

For further information please visit the ETC website at

www.energy-transitions.org

The list of ETC Commissioners can be found here:  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oK91in3dJyxjc7DT_6xDm-I5cOFeuC31/view?usp=sharing

.

Quotes from our Commissioners: The list of quotes from our ETC Commissioners

can be found here:  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aVuCNAsz7vduSA4ov1GhSnxA_vPtMnUs/view?usp=sharing.

Notes for Editors: About the ETC and previous reports:  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZN87bGAzjo5cu2cUw5J26CkCyUVswAtk/view?usp=sharing

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Source: Energy Transitions Commission (ETC)