Climate Change Implications For US Energy Supply And Use - Climate Change and Energy Supply and Use - page 35

biomass productivity (SRREN, 2011). In general, bioenergy production potentials will
be afected by both climate change and rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon di-
oxide. Increased concentrations tend to enhance crop yields, while changes in climate
can either enhance or degrade yields, varying across regions and over time.
Some atention has been paid, however, to environmental variables that shape the
sustainability of bioenergy development trajectories (Figure 16 ) and to frameworks for
determining which variables are most important for sustainability (Figure 17 ) .
In many cases, the key variables appear to be land use and water availability; and re-
search is under way to evaluate sensitivities to water availability, which can be subject to
climate change. Initial analyses of climate feedbacks through bioenergy production and
use systems have been carried out by PNNL, considering efects of climate change itself

Feedstock
Production

Feedstock
Logistics

Conversion
to Biofuel

Biofuel
Logistics

Biofuel
End-Uses

Figure 16 Contexts for environmental
indicators of sustainability in the biofuel
supply chain (DOE-EERE Office of Biomass
Program - Sustainability)

Land
Conditions

Conversion
Process

Harvesting
& Collection

Transport Engine

Type &

Feedstock
Type

Processing Fuel Type Storage Blend

Conditions

Storage Co-

Products

Land
Management

Major categories of
environmental indicators

Soil quality
Water quality and quantity
Greenhouse gases
Biodiversity
Air quality
Productivity

Transport

Define goals (e.g., sustainability, regulatory, policy,
production, logistical, etc.) based on
• Context
• Identify appropriate spatial and temporal scales
• Characterize historical environmental changes
• Place in social and economical context
• Stakeholder values

Figure 17 Framework for selecting
sustainability indicators for bioenergy
(Virginia H. Dale, Rebecca A. Efoymson, and
Kevin Kline, Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Determine objectives for analysis

Determine selection
criteria for indicators

Identify indicators
that meet criteria

Assess
• Information
availability
• Resources
needed to
collect
required
data
• Gaps in ability
to address
goals

Determine
baselines
and
targets

Collect data
for indicators

Analyze indicator information

Identify best practices

No Yes Objectives
achieved?

Assess lessons learned

A Selection Criteria Framework for Bioenergy
Sustainability
A paper to be submitted as a “Perspective” for Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefineries.