Growing concerns about rising oil prices, energy security, and climate change have drawn substantial attention to biofuels -- fuels, especially ethanol and bio-diesel, derived from biomass such as sugarcane, corn, or oil seeds -- as an alternative to oil, coal, and natural gas. Advocates believe that biofuels can promote rural development, provide new markets for agricultural products, enhance energy security and reduce global warming. But critics argue that rapid development of biofuels without careful management may adversely affect food security and worsen deforestation.
To discuss these issues and the potential impact of a forthcoming "second generation" of biofuel technologies, UNCTAD is hosting an ad hoc expert meeting titled "Biofuels: Trade and Development Implications of Present and Emerging Technologies", to be held today in Room XXVI of the Palais des Nations.
The meeting will review the existing situation and consider the possible advantages of new technologies, especially in relation to climate-change mitigation and land use; their potential impact on the competitiveness of biofuel-producing countries; and their implications for trade and development, with particular attention to the role they may play in developing nations.
At the meeting, Dr. Eric Larson, of the Energy Technology Assessment/Energy Policy Analysis Group at Princeton University, will present a summary of a new study commissioned by UNCTAD titled "Biofuel Production Technologies: Status and Prospects". Speakers will also include Dr. Sergio Trindade, Director of Science and Technology at International Fuel Technology, Inc., USA; and Dr. Alok Adholeya, Director of Biotechnology & Management of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India.
