Biofuture Platform launches Clean Energy Ministerial Initiative to accelerate bioenergy in energy transition

Sep 2020
Bulletins

In a high-level launch event on September 16, government representatives, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and top industry leaders called for international collaboration and engagement with private sector to achieve global climate and energy transition goals.

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) high-level global forum has officially launched the new Biofuture Platform Initiative. The workstream, which will be implemented in close partnership with the private sector, will raise international ambition and advance sustainable bioenergy and biomaterials production, trade and use globally, via policies and programmes to make sustainable bioenergy a key enabler in clean energy transitions.

The workstream is a significant milestone for the four-year old multi-stakeholder initiative of the Biofuture Platform which is backed by its twenty member governments and the IEA, and is expected to increase awareness of the role of sustainable bioenergy in global economies, drive international ministerial engagement and private sector partnerships.

The launch of the Biofuture Platform CEM Initiative was marked with a virtual event attended by senior representatives and industry leaders from several countries including Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Netherlands, UK, and US. The event was co-chaired by the Minister of Mines and Energy of Brazil, Bento Albuquerque, and the Executive Director of the IEA, Dr Fatih Birol, in the IEA’s capacity of coordinator of the new CEM initiative.

Global representatives of the Platform called for greater international collaboration and knowledge sharing across the bioenergy sector to encourage dialogue from governments and within industries. The Biofuture Platform CEM Initiative regards this cross-cutting work as an imperative cornerstone of the ambition to achieve a global sustainable transition to cleaner energy.

Key takeaways from the event included:

  1. A need for greater recognition of sustainable bioenergy in clean energy transition plans
  2. Increased international collaboration, particularly when exploring advances in bioenergy technologies
  3. Bringing policy initiatives to the forefront to ensure greater recognition around mandates and innovation

More info available here: http://www.biofutureplatform.org/post/biofuture-launches-clean-energy-ministerial-workstream-to-accelerate-bioenergy-in-energy-transition

The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme looks forward to working with the Biofuture Platform and the associated CEM initiative and there is currently a 3-way memorandum of understanding under development between ourselves and the IEA Secretariat to more fully explore opportunities for greater collaboration.