EEAC
Working Group Energy Workshop
10%
Agrofuels: a prudent target?
Setting
the right priorities for agroenergy use
Tuesday
29 January 2008, from 10:00 to
18:00
Auditorium, Minaraad, Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Background
At the spring summit 2007 Heads of state formulated the aim to achieve a 20% share of renewables in primary energy demand and a 10% share for agrofuels by 2020. Some member states even intend to go beyond those targets. The target formulation for agrofuels has been ambiguous. On one side Heads of States wanted to have a legally binding target, on the other side this target has been considered to be appropriate only under certain conditions, such as the availability of second generation agrofuels or the respect of sustainability criteria. Last October, during an internal workshop in Portugal many councils within the network of European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils (EEAC) raised doubts, if those conditions really can be met. It is difficult to ensure the sustainability and the efficiency of agrofuels as climate mitigation option. It is furthermore not granted that so-called second generation agrofuels will achieve a high market penetration by 2020.
Many councils recently produced statements and reports on this topic, some are in the middle of their elaborations. This workshop brought together the results and discussion of the advisory councils in order to inform the Brussels community about the analyses of experts, scientists and stakeholders in member states.
The event was kindly hosted and sponsored by the Environment and Nature Council of Flanders (Minaraad).
▲
Program and Presentations
| 10:00 | Dr.
Christian Hey, German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) and
Chair of the EEAC Working Group Energy Opening and Introduction |
|
10.15
– 12.30 |
Session
1: Domestic potential, land-use conflicts and optimal use of biomass? Chair: Tom Eddy, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) |
| Prof. Dr. Christina
von Haaren, German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU): “Climate Mitigation by Biomass” – the SRU Report - Presentation |
|
|
Silvia
Cañellas Boltà, Advisory Council for the Sustainable Development of
Catalonia (CADS): Effects on land use in Catalonia - Presentation |
|
| Dr. Horst Steinmüller,
University Linz: Criteria for future technology development - Presentation |
|
| Prof. Janet Sprent, Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution (RCEP): Biomass as a renewable energy source |
|
| Mauro Poinelli, European Commission,
DG AGRI: The Commission perspective - Presentation |
|
| Discussion |
|
| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 13.30 – 15:00 | Session
2: Targets and Instruments |
| Dorette Corbey, Member of the European
Parliament: The European Parliament’s Positions on biomass use and agrofuels |
|
| Lisa Ryan, Comhar –The National
Sustainable Development Council, Estimating the cost of biofuels incentives in climate policy - Presentation |
|
| Dr. Aat Peterse, European Federation
for Transport and Environment (T&E ): Agrofuel targets and the biofuel directive - Presentation |
|
| Paul Hodson, European Commission, DG
TREN: Biomass in the Renewables Directive - Presentation |
|
| Discussion | |
| 15:00 | C |
| 15:30 | Key Note Speech: Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, EEA, Executive Director: Unintended effects: The need for a proper assessment framework for agrofuels |
 |
|
| 16:00 – 18:00 | Session
3: Ensuring the Global Sustainability of Production and Conversion |
| Prof.
José Lima Santos, Portuguese National Council on Environment and Sustainable Development
(CNADS): Options to deal with land-use conflicts / biomass-biodiversity - food security |
|
| Dr. Huib Silvis, The Netherlands
Council for the Rural Area (RLG): Criteria development in the Netherlands - Presentation |
|
| Jessica Magnus, Joint Nature
Conservation Committee (JNCC): Criteria for ensuring the sustainability of biofuels - Presentation |
|
| Robert Bailey, Oxfam: The development perspective - Presentation |
|
| Discussion | |
 |
|
| 18:00 | Drinks |
▲
Chairman's Conclusions
Download document with Chairman's Conclusions.
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Last update: 7 February 2008