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.
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.
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LATEST NEWS
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The Willis Report
August 17, 2010
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Ted Turner Calls on Global Community to Put Wealth to Work for a Better World
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