WS27: Bioenergy and Sustainable Development – Climate Change Mitigation and Opportunities for Sustainability Co-Benefits

23-24 May 2022 – e-Workshop organized by IEA Bioenergy, in collaboration with the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) and the Biofuture Platform

Modern bioenergy [1] is the largest source of renewable energy in the world and is expected to grow substantially as one of complimentary pathways to support decarbonization initiatives to limit global warming by 1.5°C. Given these trends, it is expected that there will be a significant increase in sustainably-sourced biomass as bioenergy systems are adopted under national climate change and circular economy  policies. While it is likely that much of the additional biomass will be sourced from waste and residue streams, biomass sourced from purpose-grown crops are also expected to increase.

IEA Bioenergy recently published an overview of 37 case studies [2] from 18 nations worldwide to understand how biomass supply chains can support bioenergy production, while simultaneous contributing to sustainable development goals [3]. Beyond directly contributing to the provision of affordable and sustainable energy and climate change mitigation, several of the analyzed cases contributed to sustainable land management, restoration of degraded lands, and improving economic opportunities and resilience in rural areas.

Aim of the workshop:

• Provide practical information to qualify the contributions of bioenergy to climate change mitigation.
• Highlight the opportunities and co-benefits of biomass supply chains (beyond energy provision,) and open the prospects of stimulating such co-benefits and managing trade-offs.

The online workshop will have two sessions:

• Monday 23 May 2022 (16:00 – 18.30 CEST): This session will examine debates surrounding the contribution of bioenergy to climate change mitigation.
• Tuesday 24 May 2022 (13:00 – 15:30 CEST): This session will consider opportunities for sustainability co-benefits (beyond climate) and ways to create win-win approaches, e.g. to lift socio-economic perspectives in rural areas and improve the way landscapes are managed.

Each session will have keynote presentations, followed by a panel discussion. Interactive tools will be used to gather input from the audience.

Download the announcement

[1] Modern bioenergy excludes traditional use of solid biomass in open fires and basic stoves with very low efficiency and high air pollution.

[2] Report available at: https://www.ieabioenergy.com/blog/publications/biomass-supply-chains-and-their-contribution-to-the-sustainable-development-goals/

[3] More information about the UN SDGs: https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals

AGENDA

Session 1: Bioenergy and climate change mitigation

Moderators
Jim Spaeth, US Department of Energy
Paolo Frankl, International Energy Agency (IEA)

Presentations:

• Andy Reisinger, IPCC Vice-chair WG III
  IPCC Climate Change 2022 WG III report (mitigation): some key findings and the role of bioenergy
• Sabine Fuss, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC)
  Necessity and regulatory options for CO2 withdrawal
• Florian Kraxner, IIASA
  Sustainable boreal forest management – challenges and opportunities for climate change mitigation
• Annette Cowie, NSW Department of Primary Industries | Agriculture – Australia
  Key determinants of the climate effects of bioenergy

Moderated panel discussion

Tuesday 24 May
13:00 – 15:30 CEST

Session 2: Sustainability co-benefits of bioenergy beyond climate

Moderators
Maria Murmis, Ministry of Agriculture, Argentina
Michela Morese, Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP)

Presentations

• Olivier Dubois, FAO
  Linkages between Sustainable Bioenergy and SDGs
• Constance Miller, Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP)
  Examples of bioenergy contributing to rural development and land restoration in developing countries
• Bah Saho, Ecowas Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (ECREEE)
  Co-benefits of Bioenergy in the ECOWAS region (West Africa)
• Eduardo Trigo, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
  Bioeconomy supporting rural development in Latin America
• Blas Mola-Yudego, University of Eastern Finland
  Integration of bioenergy crops in agricultural landscapes to provide ecosystem services
• Bruno Gagnon, Natural Resources Canada & Jean Blair, Dalhousie University
  Biomass supply chains and their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Moderated panel discussion

Participation
Participation to the different parts of the workshop is free of charge, but pre-registration is required (separate for each session).

Registration session 1 – Bioenergy and climate change mitigation

Registration session 2 – Sustainability co-benefits of bioenergy beyond climate

More information
Luc Pelkmans
Technical Coordinator – IEA Bioenergy
luc.pelkmans@caprea.be
Tel. +32 492 977930