FRANKLINTON, N.C. - (Business Wire) Suggestions that the increased use of fuel produced from biomass will automatically lead to increased deforestation globally ignores existing science, continued technological advances, and numerous international policies and principles under development to regulate biofuels, according to experts at Novozymes, a Danish manufacturer of enzymes used to produce biofuels. An article published in Science magazine last week alleged that current bioenergy policies have a "fixable flaw" – namely, that the current approach does not take into account direct and indirect carbon emissions from land use. Based on this, the report authors claim that increased use of bioenergy will lead to deforestation as land is cleared to grow so-called “energy crops” for bioenergy production.
The Science article was co-authored by Tim Searchinger, a lawyer who introduced the theory of indirect land use change (ILUC) in another article in 2008. His theory relies on a worst-case scenario under which all electricity and fuel in Europe and the U.S. depends on clearing forests in the developing world for biomass production. Such a methodology ignores technological advances and national land management practices and policies, according to experts at Novozymes, and it does not take into account soil types, fertilizer practices, tillage, the value of feed products and advancements in increasing crop yields that can further reduce the need for new cropland.
“Advanced biofuels hold the potential to reduce CO2 emissions up to 90 percent as compared to gasoline, so it is critical to move beyond premature conclusions about the causes of deforestation and establish a fair, transparent scientific model for land use policies,” said Karen Margrethe Oxenboll, Novozymes director of sustainability development.
Because of the potential value that biofuels have as part of a low-carbon society, numerous scientists have challenged the credibility of economic models used to estimate the values of GHG emissions projected from ILUC. In fact, dozens of those scientists wrote to the California Air Resources Board urging them to delay implementation of an ILUC penalty against biofuels in their low carbon fuel standard, citing the lack of science supporting its model.
Regulation for bio-electricity
Adding to the debate about the effects of increased use of biomass is the lack of current regulation, or evaluation of carbon emissions, for biomass when it is used to produce electricity.
“Clearly, the direct and indirect environmental impacts of the world's energy supply need further study, but there needs to be a level playing field to ensure that biofuels, bioelectricity and, most importantly, fossil fuels are all judged by the same criteria when measuring emissions. There should be a full accounting of the carbon emissions of all fuels, not just biofuels,” said Adam Monroe, president of Novozymes North America.
“We need to make smart energy choices that support a low-carbon energy future,” said Monroe. “Jumping to quick conclusions about deforestation may ruin one of our best chances for addressing climate change and establishing a sustainable, secure energy supply.”
Novozymes
Paige Donnelly, 919-494-3209
Mobile: 919-218-4501
pagd@novozymes.com
