BIOEN
Statement of Need
Current land use patterns are not sustainable when extrapolated into the future with growing population and higher standards of living. Integrating large-scale production of bioenergy into land use makes this more challenging. It is thus easy to show how humanity can "get it wrong" with respect to bioenergy, and several recent studies have heightened sensitivity to this.
However, it is necessary to consider large-scale bioenergy production in light of the limited number of alternatives available - particularly for the transportation sector, for which it is likely that biofuels represent the only low-carbon option for a substantial fraction of mobility demand.
What is most needed at this time in our view is an analysis focused on how to "get it right" with respect to bioenergy - in essence an "existence proof" of the global feasibility of large-scale bioenergy production while honoring other important priorities. We seek to evaluate what a sustainable world configured to accommodate large-scale bioenergy production would look like, to consider the desirability of such a world, and to identify the paths and policies that would foster its realization.