Bioenergy and Sustainable Development – Climate Change Mitigation and Opportunities for Sustainability Co-Benefits

Modern bioenergy is the largest source of renewable energy in the world and is expected to grow substantially as one of complimentary pathways to support decarbonization initiatives to limit global warming by 1.5°C. Given these trends, it is expected that there will be a significant increase in sustainablysourced biomass as bioenergy systems are adopted under national climate change and circular economy policies. While it is likely that much of the additional biomass will be sourced from waste and residue streams, biomass sourced from purpose-grown crops are also expected to increase.  

IEA Bioenergy recently published an overview of 37 case studies from 18 nations worldwide to understand how biomass supply chains can support bioenergy production, while simultaneous contributing to sustainable development goals. Beyond directly contributing to the provision of affordable and sustainable energy and climate change mitigation, several of the analyzed cases contributed to sustainable land management, restoration of degraded lands, and improving economic opportunities and resilience in rural areas.  

Aim of the workshop: 

- Provide practical information and examples to qualify the contributions of bioenergy to climate change mitigation.

- Highlight the opportunities and co-benefits of biomass supply chains (beyond energy provision,) and open the prospects of stimulating such co-benefits and managing trade-offs.  

Agenda, recording and presentations are available at ieabioenergy.com