Sustainability and policy - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 468

60 000

Asia/Pacific

50 000

Europe/
Eurasia

40 000

South and Central
America

30 000

20 000

10 000

North America

0

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

Fig. 8.2 Commercialbiofuelproduction2000-10byworldregion(BPEconomicsUnit,2011). Note: mostoftheother

energygraphs in this topic refertomilliontonnesofoilequivalent(mtoe)whereasthisigureusesthousands
oftonnesofoilequivalent(ktoe).

combined with the carbon-capture technology described below, can take carbon out
of the atmosphere.
Commercial biofuel production (excluding local gathering of wood, etc.) increased
dramatically (by around 500%) in the first decade of the 21st century (see Figure 8.2).
Much of this growth has taken place in North and South America as well as Europe.
It is thought to have competed with food production, and hence contributed to the
2007-8 food crisis (see section 7.4.1). Nonetheless, despite this growth, by 2010
biofuels were contributing less than half of 1% of commercial energy production.
This means that non-commercial biofuel use (mainly rural local harvesting of wood
from forests, burning animal dung, etc.) is substantially greater than its commercial
counterpart.
As with fossil fuel consumption and nuclear power, renewable energy production
does have environmental impacts, but these are largely unrelated to climate - hence
are not covered in detail in this text - and the exceptions to this only have a local
(not global) impact. An example might be those hydroelectric schemes that create a
substantially increased surface area of water over that of the previous river course,
such as with the Iron Gates scheme on the River Danube between Romania and
Serbia. The valley in which the scheme is located has acquired a more Mediterranean
(as opposed to its formerly continental) climate.
Developing renewables, indeed novel non-fossil carbon energy-generating techno-
logy, necessitates both research and then deployment. Both these have costs. While
the former may be financed by a combination of industrial and governmental research
investment, deployment needs to be actively encouraged with financial investments
so that the new technology can compete on a level playing field with established