SCI’s Green Recovery File: ‘It is critical that governments incorporate bioenergy in their covid economic recovery plans
The Biofuture Platform, a multi-stakeholder initiative supported by 20 countries and facilitated by the International Energy Agency (IEA), has released ‘Five Principles’ for a post-covid-19 bioeconomy recovery.
Bioenergy is expected to play a key role in the decarbonisation of the energy sector. The five non-binding principles are intended to offer guidance to governments and policy makers on the need to promote a sustainable bioeconomy in both the short-term relief packages and broader post-covid economic recovery programs.
The principles include the encouragement to ‘Build back better with bio’ and ‘Reward sustainability’. A number of countries have implemented the principles or are considering new polices in line with them. For example India has said that it intends to scale up bioenergy use, this includes adding 20% sustainable ethanol in gasoline by 2030.
Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA said ‘Bioenergy is the overlooked giant of the renewable energy sector and will be paramount to a successful global energy transition. But its growth is currently not on track to meet sustainable development goals. It is critical that governments incorporate bioenergy in their covid economic recovery plans, promoting jobs in the sector and ensuring its considerable potential does not go untapped.’
The Biofuture Platform was established during 2016. Member countries include Argentina, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Mozambique, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States. Academia, international and private sector organisations are also engaged with the Biofuture Platform.
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