Deploying Clean Energy Technologies

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While most of us enjoy the benefits of readily accessible energy, approximately two billion people around the world do not have access to modern energy services.  As they sit on the sidelines of the modern economy, their aspirations for a better life are being stunted.  In addition, the most of the energy we produce is derived from burning fossil fuels.  When burned, these sources release carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, which acts like a blanket over the earth, trapping heat and warming surface temperatures.  This is causing severe disruptions to the climate system and is leading to droughts and floods, decreased agricultural productivity and rising sea levels.

The answer to both of these challenges lies in the development of clean, renewable energy.  Using the energy we get for free from the sun, the wind, plants, and waves instead of from fossil fuels is the only way we will avert catastrophic climate change while continuing to grow our economies.  Renewable energy also offers great hope for the poor because it can be decentrally produced, avoiding costly extensions of the electricity grid, and because many of the poorest areas have abundant natural resources like sunlight.  One of the principal way we're working to advance renewable energy solutions is through our International Bioenergy Initiative (IBI).

INTERNATIONAL BIOENERGY INITIATIVE

Our International Bioenergy Initiative (IBI) advances environmentally and economically sustainable strategies for harnessing biomass energy in ways that don't reduce food supplies. IBI identifies, shares and promotes best practices for the sustainable uses of bioenergy with government leaders, UN agencies, scientific experts, the World Trade Organization (WTO) officials and nongovernmental organizations. Activities in this area are constantly evolving and the strategy developed for our collaborative relationship with the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea allows us to stay on the leading edge on many of the issues regarding bioenergy.
Our IBI priorities include:

PROMOTING TRADE OPPORTUNITIES

In partnership with the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the World Trade Organization, we supported a trade policy dialogue that assessed opportunities for existing producers of bioenergy feedstocks to expand into energy markets and for others to consider export production possibilities. We also worked with the International Agriculture and Trade Policy Council to highlight the trade problems in a 2007 report.  

FINANCING BIOENERGY INVESTMENTS

We support the development of tools to help governments assess clean-energy projects. This includes a macroeconomic assessment tool that enables policy makers to evaluate the impacts, opportunities and trade-offs in bioenergy production. After a successful field test in El Salvador, we are working to help countries to identify public and private financing opportunities to advance utilization of bioenergy opportunities.

EXPANDING ENERGY ACCESS

Through the IBI, we are working with developing countries to build capacity for assessing the economic and enviornmental benefits offered by sustainable biomass management and bioenergy production, with special reference to rural communities.

DEVELOPING SUSTAINABILITY GUIDELINES

UNF supported the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) in producing a “best practices and policies” database that supported G8 and G8+5 discussions in 2007. To follow up, we organized an international workshop in 2008 to help standardize accounting methodologies for calculating direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production and use of solid biomass and biofuels. As a founding member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), we are working to incorporate these sustainability principles into the GBEP process and to examine voluntary certification approaches.

PROVIDING A ROADMAP FOR BIOENERGY PRODUCTION

Together with the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and the Energy and Security Group, the United Nations Foundation produced a bioenergy policy-making guideline for eight West African countries. “Sustainable Bioenergy Report in UEMOA Member Countries,” details the great potential that biomass holds as a reliable, sustainable and clean energy source, as well as a catalyst to spur economic growth, and reduce poverty and deforestation.

STORIES OF IMPACT