Side-event on Scaling up the advanced low carbon bioeconomy at the CEM8-MI2

Use of fossil fuels in transportation and industrial production contributes up to 35% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although sustainable biofuels can have an important role to play in tackling these emissions, many of the most exciting biofuels remain at the pre-commercial stage of development. 

The side event aims to showcase to government officials, investors, industry representatives and academia the need to accelerate investments and increase international collaboration in the low carbon bioeconomy to respond to the needs of the fight against climate change,

The event will highlight the recent contributions of Mission Innovation and the Biofuture Platform, as country-led multilateral initiatives, and of below50, a private-sector led initiative, to contribute to fulfill that need.

A related goal is that government officials, experts and industry players have an opportunity to show current activities, research projects, policies, investment plans and promising new technologies to achieve performance breakthroughs and cost reductions for sustainable large scale production and utilization of advanced biofuels and biomass.

The desired outcome is increased awareness among key policy makers and decision makers about the need to scale up the bioeconomy; the challenges ahead; the possible solutions; and how they could contribute both individually and as part of MI and Biofuture.

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PROGRAMME

9:30 NETWORKING TEA-BREAK

10:00 CONTEXT-SETTING: THE CASE TO SCALE UP AN ADVANCED BIOECONOMY AND RECENT

GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR EFFORTS

Moderator - Mr. Luiz Barroso, Brazil´s Head of Delegation for the CEM Ministerial and President of

Brazil´s Energy Planning Agency

10:00 – Opening the Meeting & Introductions | Mr. Luiz Barroso, Brazil´s Head of Delegation for the CEM Ministerial and President of Brazil´s Energy Planning Agency | Frank Des Rosiers, Assistant Deputy Minister, Innovation and Energy Technology, Department of Natural Resources Canada

10:15 – Bioenergy and climate change mitigation: The need for massive scale up | Paolo Frankl, Head of the Renewable Energy Division at the International Energy Agency (IEA)

10:30 – Bioenergy for Sustainable Development – A joint vision by FAO, IEA Bioenergy and IRENA | Dolf Gielen, Director, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

10:45 – Mission Innovation Sustainable Biofuels Innovation Challenge and workplan | Frank Des Rosiers, Assistant Deputy Minister, Innovation and Energy Technology, Department of Natural Resources Canada

10:55 – Biofuture Platform activities and conferences | Luis Fernando Machado, Biofuture Platform interim facilitator (Brazil)

11h05 – Discussion

11:30 PANEL OVERVIEW: RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS AND PERSPECTIVES TO SCALE UP SUSTAINABLE BIOENERGY (7 mins. for each panelist) 

Moderator - Gerard J. Ostheimer, Ph.D. Global Lead for Sustainable Bioenergy, SEforALL & below50

11:30 – Private Sector Linkages - below50 Brief | Gerard J. Ostheimer, Ph.D. Global Lead for Sustainable Bioenergy, SEforALL & below50

11:40 – Industrial bioeconomy developments in China | Li Bei, Deputy General Manager and Party Secretary, COFCO Biochem.

11:50 – Private Sector Perspective on the Global Bioeconomy | Andy Zhou, Head of Biomass Business Development China, Novozymes

12:00 – Discussion

12:25 – CONCLUSIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEXT STEPS: SBIC/Biofuture survey and reports, Biofuture Vision Statement | Biofuture Platform interim facilitator (Brazil)

12:30 Adjournment