[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/ipewps/812017.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A comprehensive evaluation of the EU's biofuel policy: From biofuels to agrofuels

Author

Listed:
  • Murnaghan, Kitty
Abstract
During a time in which the subject of climate change is deemed high on the list of priorities of many governments, it is important to assess to what extent policies in this field are achieving meaningful results. The link between energy usage and global warming is clear and today in the European Union the use of renewable resources is being promoted more than ever before. The move towards a renewables based economy has clear benefits over a fossil fuel based one with regards to climate change and the environment, however if the implementation of renewables is not monitored and regulated then this is not a given by any means. Of the renewable resources, bioenergy has a high level of importance in the EU. For this reason, this paper will make a comprehensive evaluation of the EU's biofuel policy in order to assess what the driving forces behind the regulation of this resource are, and how they affect to what extent it is successful or not. In order to do this, firstly the impacts of current EU bioenergy consumption will be assessed, to determine whether it is achieving the stated and desired climate goals or not. Findings will show that in fact the current formulation of Europe's Renewable Strategy creates pressure to meet binding targets for renewable usage and the resultant rapid increase in the demand for bioenergy has caused a number of negative social and ecological impacts to arise. Therefore in light of this, the current systems in place at the EU level meant to regulate the use of bioenergy and ensure it is implemented in a sustainable way will be critically analysed in order to find out how such negative impacts have been able to occur. The final section will then look into the driving forces responsible for regulation of this kind through a case study of Germany and Indonesia.

Suggested Citation

  • Murnaghan, Kitty, 2017. "A comprehensive evaluation of the EU's biofuel policy: From biofuels to agrofuels," IPE Working Papers 81/2017, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ipewps:812017
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/149890/1/878094121.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacinto F. Fabiosa & John C. Beghin & Fengxia Dong & JAmani Elobeid & Simla Tokgoz & Tun-Hsiang Yu, 2010. "Land Allocation Effects of the Global Ethanol Surge: Predictions from the International FAPRI Model," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 86(4), pages 687-706.
    2. Gal Hochman & Deepak Rajagopal & Govinda R. Timilsina & David Zilberman, 2014. "Impacts of Biofuels on Food Prices," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Govinda R. Timilsina & David Zilberman (ed.), The Impacts of Biofuels on the Economy, Environment, and Poverty, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 47-64, Springer.
    3. Gurgel Angelo & Reilly John M & Paltsev Sergey, 2007. "Potential Land Use Implications of a Global Biofuels Industry," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 5(2), pages 1-36, December.
    4. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2007. "The Economic Lives of the Poor," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(1), pages 141-168, Winter.
    5. Markevicius, A. & Katinas, V. & Perednis, E. & Tamasauskiene, M., 2010. "Trends and sustainability criteria of the production and use of liquid biofuels," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 3226-3231, December.
    6. Dicks, Michael R. & Campiche, Jody L. & Torre Ugarte, Daniel de la & Hellwinckel, Chad M. & Bryant, Henry L. & Richardson, James W., 2009. "Land Use Implications of Expanding Biofuel Demand," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 41(2), August.
    7. Melanie Pichler, 2015. "Legal Dispossession: State Strategies and Selectivities in the Expansion of Indonesian Palm Oil and Agrofuel Production," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 46(3), pages 508-533, May.
    8. Govinda R. Timilsina & David Zilberman (ed.), 2014. "The Impacts of Biofuels on the Economy, Environment, and Poverty," Natural Resource Management and Policy, Springer, edition 127, number 978-1-4939-0518-8, March.
    9. Mitchell, Donald, 2008. "A note on rising food prices," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4682, The World Bank.
    10. Naik, S.N. & Goud, Vaibhav V. & Rout, Prasant K. & Dalai, Ajay K., 2010. "Production of first and second generation biofuels: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 578-597, February.
    11. Bomb, Christian & McCormick, Kes & Deurwaarder, Ewout & Kaberger, Tomas, 2007. "Biofuels for transport in Europe: Lessons from Germany and the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 2256-2267, April.
    12. Caesar B. Cororaton & Govinda R. Timilsina, 2014. "Biofuels and Poverty," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Govinda R. Timilsina & David Zilberman (ed.), The Impacts of Biofuels on the Economy, Environment, and Poverty, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 79-89, Springer.
    13. Reilly, John M. & Gurgel, Angelo Costa & Paltsev, Sergey, 2008. "Biofuels and Land Use Change," Environmental and Rural Development Impacts Conference, October 15-16, 2008, St. Louis, Missouri 53490, Farm Foundation, Transition to a Bio Economy Conferences.
    14. Hennecke, Anna M. & Faist, Mireille & Reinhardt, Jürgen & Junquera, Victoria & Neeft, John & Fehrenbach, Horst, 2013. "Biofuel greenhouse gas calculations under the European Renewable Energy Directive – A comparison of the BioGrace tool vs. the tool of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 55-62.
    15. Paul J. Crutzen, 2002. "Geology of mankind," Nature, Nature, vol. 415(6867), pages 23-23, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shelare, Sagar D. & Belkhode, Pramod N. & Nikam, Keval Chandrakant & Jathar, Laxmikant D. & Shahapurkar, Kiran & Soudagar, Manzoore Elahi M. & Veza, Ibham & Khan, T.M. Yunus & Kalam, M.A. & Nizami, Ab, 2023. "Biofuels for a sustainable future: Examining the role of nano-additives, economics, policy, internet of things, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology in biodiesel production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kate Dooley & Sivan Kartha, 2018. "Land-based negative emissions: risks for climate mitigation and impacts on sustainable development," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 79-98, February.
    2. Thomas Hertel & Jevgenijs Steinbuks & Uris Baldos, 2013. "Competition for land in the global bioeconomy," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 44(s1), pages 129-138, November.
    3. Grant J. Allan, 2015. "The Regional Economic Impacts of Biofuels: A Review of Multisectoral Modelling Techniques and Evaluation of Applications," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(4), pages 615-643, April.
    4. Correa, Diego F. & Beyer, Hawthorne L. & Fargione, Joseph E. & Hill, Jason D. & Possingham, Hugh P. & Thomas-Hall, Skye R. & Schenk, Peer M., 2019. "Towards the implementation of sustainable biofuel production systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 250-263.
    5. Festel, Gunter & Würmseher, Martin & Rammer, Christian & Boles, Eckhard & Bellof, Martin, 2013. "Modelling production cost scenarios for biofuels and fossil fuels in Europe," ZEW Discussion Papers 13-075, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Bergthorson, Jeffrey M. & Thomson, Murray J., 2015. "A review of the combustion and emissions properties of advanced transportation biofuels and their impact on existing and future engines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1393-1417.
    7. Banse, M. & Sorda, G., 2010. "Impact of Different Biofuel Policy Options on Agricultural Production and Land Use in Germany," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 45, March.
    8. Jaeger, William K. & Egelkraut, Thorsten M., 2011. "Biofuel economics in a setting of multiple objectives and unintended consequences," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4320-4333.
    9. Teodoro Semeraro & Roberta Aretano & Amilcare Barca & Alessandro Pomes & Cecilia Del Giudice & Elisa Gatto & Marcello Lenucci & Riccardo Buccolieri & Rohinton Emmanuel & Zhi Gao & Alessandra Scognamig, 2020. "A Conceptual Framework to Design Green Infrastructure: Ecosystem Services as an Opportunity for Creating Shared Value in Ground Photovoltaic Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-28, July.
    10. Piotr Gradziuk & Krzysztof Jończyk & Barbara Gradziuk & Adrianna Wojciechowska & Anna Trocewicz & Marcin Wysokiński, 2021. "An Economic Assessment of the Impact on Agriculture of the Proposed Changes in EU Biofuel Policy Mechanisms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-21, October.
    11. Hoekman, S. Kent & Broch, Amber, 2018. "Environmental implications of higher ethanol production and use in the U.S.: A literature review. Part II – Biodiversity, land use change, GHG emissions, and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3159-3177.
    12. Junko Mochizuki & John F. Yanagida & Makena Coffman, 2013. "Market, Welfare and Land-Use Implications of Lignocellulosic Bioethanol in Hawai�i," Working Papers 2013-10, University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
    13. Cai, Yongxia & Birur, Dileep K. & Beach, Robert H. & Davis, Lauren M., 2013. "Tradeoff of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, a General Equilibrium Analysis," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150766, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Carlos Omar Trejo-Pech & James A. Larson & Burton C. English & T. Edward Yu, 2019. "Cost and Profitability Analysis of a Prospective Pennycress to Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Chain in Southern USA," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-18, August.
    15. Johanna Kramm & Melanie Pichler & Anke Schaffartzik & Martin Zimmermann, 2017. "Societal Relations to Nature in Times of Crisis—Social Ecology’s Contributions to Interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-12, June.
    16. Jha, Priyanka & Schmidt, Stefan, 2021. "State of biofuel development in sub-Saharan Africa: How far sustainable?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    17. Sajedinia, Ehsanreza & Tyner, Wally, 2017. "Use of General Equilibrium Models in Evaluating Biofuels Policies," Conference papers 332885, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    18. Glithero, N.J. & Ramsden, S.J. & Wilson, P., 2013. "Barriers and incentives to the production of bioethanol from cereal straw: A farm business perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 161-171.
    19. Winchester, Niven & Ledvina, Kirby & Strzepek, Kenneth & Reilly, John M., 2018. "The impact of water scarcity on food, bioenergy and deforestation," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 62(3), July.
    20. Piotr Gradziuk & Barbara Gradziuk & Anna Trocewicz & Błażej Jendrzejewski, 2020. "Potential of Straw for Energy Purposes in Poland—Forecasts Based on Trend and Causal Models," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    European Union energy policy; agrofuel; biofuel; renewable energy; sustainability criteria;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
    • Q28 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy
    • Q21 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:ipewps:812017. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iphwrde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.