July 1, 2005 |
The initiative will help to build capacity in the production, use and trade of bio-fuels and raise public and private sector awareness of the challenges and opportunities of increased bio-fuel use.
An international expert group has been set up to help developing countries
increase the production, use, and trade of bio-fuels resources and technology.
UNCTAD will coordinate the different activities, which will be carried out
jointly with other UN agencies, the private sector, non-governmental
organizations and applied research centers.
Bio-fuels (bio-ethanol, bio-diesel and bio-gas), derived from agricultural crops
such as sugar beet and sunflower are an ecological alternative to conventional
fossil fuels, which are expected to last no more than 50 years for petroleum, 60
years for natural gas and 200 years for coal. Fossil fuels, which took millions
of years to form, currently account for more than three quarters of the world's
fuel consumption. Careless use and consumption has resulted in today's climate
change and the high concentration of air pollutants in major cities. Excessive
dependence on fossil fuels has had serious consequences on the economic and
social environment, biodiversity and the climate, particularly in the poorest
developing countries.
UNCTAD's Initiative is aimed mainly at those countries. The initiative will help
to build capacity in the production, use and trade of bio-fuels and raise public
and private sector awareness of the challenges and opportunities of increased
bio-fuel use. It will also promote ways of generating new investments, such as
the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
The BioFuels Initiative focuses on these new trade and investment opportunities
for developing countries, on implications for poverty reduction, on the
supply-side constraints of increasing the production, use and trade of
bio-fuels. It will also provide a reality test for CDM in the area of bio-fuel
production in order to increase CDM projects and transactions. Country and
sectoral assessments will be prepared - initially for a small group of countries
- by using a common methodology to assess the potential of bio-fuels and
increase their share of domestic energy.
There are many advantages to using bio-fuels. As petrol prices continue to rise,
bio-fuel production, domestic use and trade reduce oil import dependency and
increase energy security. Bio-fuel production creates employment, encourages
greater diversification and promotes rural development. Reducing greenhouse gas
emissions is an effective way of fighting global warming and meeting the Kyoto
Protocol reduction targets. Bio-fuels also offer an alternative development
path: by burning less carbon, countries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
while at the same pursuing their energy targets and taking advantage of the
financial incentives of the CDM. For both developed and developing countries it
may provide a pragmatic alternative for meeting their commitments to combat
climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
While many sources of renewable energy sources depend on highly sophisticated
industrial processes, technology and investment, bio-fuel production is anchored
in the primary sector and uses local technologies, which can easily be
transferred to the poorest countries.
Last but not least, the Doha Ministerial declaration adopted by the WTO in
November 2001 encourages negotiations on "the reduction or, as appropriate,
elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods and
services". Bio-fuels derived from sustainable agricultural practices have
many attributes that might qualify them as environmental goods and may provide
an opportunity for developing and middle-income countries to build up their
export markets.
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