Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 18
International Policies on Bioenergy
and Biofuels
Miroslava Rajcaniova, Pavel Ciaian, and Dusan Drabik
Abstract This chapter provides an overview of international biofuel polices and
their main impacts on food prices and land use. Global biofuel production has
experienced a rapid growth by increasing from almost a zero level in 1970 to
29 billion gallons in 2011; the United States, the European Union, and Brazil
account for around 90 % of the global biofuel production. Biofuel policies are
widely implemented in most developed and many developing countries. Most
commonly used biofuel policy instruments are biofuel mandates and consumption
subsidies (tax credit and tax exemptions). These policies determine biofuel prices,
depending on which instrument is binding. Biofuels may also have unintended
effects on other markets. In particular, interlinkages between biofuel and agricul-
tural productions lead to food price responses and land use adjustments.
Keywords Biofuel policies Price interlinkages Food prices Land use changes
Introduction
Bioenergy is renewable energy derived from biological sources to be used for the
production of heat, electricity, or fuel. The main input in bioenergy production is
biomass. Biomass covers a wide range of plant sources, including those that are
used for fuel directly (e.g., firewood) or processed into biofuels (e.g., corn, soy,
sugarcane, sugar beet, rapeseed, or wheat). Main biofuel products include ethanol,
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