The Global Biorenewables Research (GBR) Society
ID: 3541

Abstract: Over the next two decades, the world will face a range of environmental, social and economic challenges. Our ecosystems are under pressure by increasing demands for food, feed, fibres and fuels. The transition from a fossil-based to a sustainable economy based on biorenewables will help to meet these challenges. This transition will impact our society, and the increasing demand for biomass will require sustainable production, responsible use, and equitable sharing of the resources and products. Energy security, climate change mitigation, rural development, and sustainable land use policies will all emerge after rigorous debate supported by the best available fact-based information.

To provide the decision-makers and the general public with an objective source of information on biorenewables, leading scientists from around the globe have launched an independent network called the ‘Global Biorenewables Research Society.’ The founding members are international research leaders from diverse disciplines including agriculture, biology, economics and engineering. They will provide scientific assessments on environmental, social and economic challenges that increasing demand for biomass will bring. The GBR Society will explore opportunities for rural development, better management of agriculture, and reduction of green house gas emissions.

Reports produced by the Society will be subject to high scientific and technical standards, unbiased with respect to policy, and reflect a range of views, expertise and geographical representation.. The network’s priorities include enhancing interactive communication between scientists, policymakers and the general public, as well as facilitating an educational network for international exchange of students and scientific staff.

The founding partners of the GBR Society are scientists from the following leading international biorenewables centres: B-Basic (Netherlands), Energy Biosciences Institute (USA), Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation (The Netherlands), Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (IBB) (Portugal), Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo (IEA-USP) (Brazil), University of Queensland (Australia), Porter Alliance (United Kingdom), University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), Copernicus Institute of Utrecht University (Netherlands), Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (India) and University of York (United Kingdom). Membership will be open to other scientists from public research institutes.



Susan Jenkins

The United States is taking aggressive measures to decrease the use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector and increase the use of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) states that the total amount of biofuels added to gasoline should increase to 36 billion gallons by 2022 – including 21 billion gallons from lignocellulosic material -- from 4.7 billion gallons in 2007. Individual states have also proposed and enacted low carbon/renewable fuel standards that include the use of biomass to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A robust, sustainable, and environmentally sound biorenewables platform for energy production will require substantial research, development and deployment of technology. However, if bio-based approaches are to be successful, the processes need to be studied and assessed using a whole-system approach. The Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) was established to study all aspects of bioenergy research with significant resources dedicated to conducting a full lifecycle assessment of lignocellulosic biofuel production and to studying related agricultural, environmental, societal, and economic issues. The multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research teams share their results and analysis with their EBI colleagues to guide their efforts, as well as with researchers at other such institutes to assess and disseminate unbiased, scientifically derived information. This information is then provided to policy makers and the general public to ensure that future issues involving biorenewables are decided with a scientific basis.



Patricia Osseweijer

It is crucial that clear policy measures support the development sustainable biofuels for energy security. Due to scientific uncertainties and public polarisation, notably in the food versus fuel debate, policies have been delayed, at least in Europe. The results of two public events and an international “Stakeholder Workshop on Biofuels Policy” were presented for discussion with European Parliamentarians in November 2008. Topics included criteria for sustainability in biofuels; the value of facts about the sustainability of biofuels; societal issues in the implementation of biofuels; recommendations on policy preparation for an agreed joint agenda on developing and using sustainable biofuels. A few weeks later in December 2008 the European Parliament adopted the new Climate and Energy package providing the biotechnology industry with a predictable business environment to develop advanced biofuels. The presentation will discuss the importance of addressing social issues and contributing to clear policy measures, and how we can organize a fact-based, credible organization to support this.

For some time biofuels for energy and transport seemed to offer a solution to a variety of the world’s major problems. They were seen as climate-friendly and offering the basis for a sustainable economy while creating opportunities for the agricultural sector and reducing dependence on oil-producing countries. But during the past year or so these expectations have been challenged. Would producing biofuels not be at a cost to the environment? Would the production of biomass for fuels not reduce the production of food? Do biofuels indeed reduce the emission of CO2?

Most discussions on these issues have not led to the necessary clarity but, seemingly, to precisely the opposite. Furthermore, the substantial economic and political interests involved in the development and use of biofuels became very apparent. Many of those involved have presented a one-sided picture of the potential harms or benefits of biofuels based on a selective reading of data. This may well have been a major cause of the polarisation in the public debate on biofuels in the media of recent months, a polarisation that has led to a “pro and con” division with little balanced and nuanced discussion. The general public therefore no longer trusts the promises originally made about biofuels. Involving the wider society more directly in the current policy making is suggested in order to improve the (perceived) quality of the decision making processes, and hence help in bringing balance and nuance back to the public debate. If a broad enough range of stakeholders can be involved in the decision making processes, then views on the harms and benefits of biofuels may not be oversimplified.



Yin Li

Due to the fast economic development and climate change in Asia, the development of renewable energy in Asia is clearly needed to meet the rising energy demand. How important is the bioenergy in the whole renewable energy structure in Asian countries? What is the general attitude of the major Asian governments towards development of bioenergy? Do Asian countries have enough land for planting bioenergy raw materials (feedstock)? Have Asian countries made significant technology breakthrough on bioenergy production? How is the impact of bioenergy on environment assessed? These questions will be addressed by presenting the relevant policy from Asian countries in the first place, followed by an overview of the distribution of the bioenergy producers in Asia. China will be used as an example for detailed analyses. The governmental incentives and roadmap for development of bioenergy, the general goal and general policy, the structure of the bioenergy products, the funding schemes and the major R&D programmes, the attitude of the general public to bioenergy development, will be presented.

Moderator: Luuk van der Wielen, B-Basic / TU Delft (Netherlands)

Presenter 1: Using Whole-System Science to Guide Development and Deployment of Bioenergy
Susan Jenkins, Energy Biosciences Institute, (United States)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 2: Dehyping Biofuels: Creating Clarity for Policy Making For a Sustainable Future 
Patricia Osseweijer, Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation, (The Netherlands)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 3: Bioenergy in Asia 
Yin Li, Chinese Academy of Sciences, (China)  [Confirmed]

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Panel Organizer:
Erik van Hellemond, TU Delft, department of Biotechnology, (Netherlands)

Why should your submission should be selected for this year’s program?
The ‘Global Biorenewables Research Society’ (GBR Society) was recently launched in Lisbon, May 19, 2009. The objective is to be the think tank to provide science based knowledge for the implementation of the biobased economy. Its first activity will be to contribute to this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.