Introduction

In response to mounting global concerns about the costs and impacts of fossil fuel consumption, the development of bioenergy and biobased products is growing rapidly around the world. This shift from fossil fuels to biomass feedstocks creates both real opportunities and serious risks.

If done right and at the appropriate scale, using biomass for energy, fuel and industrial production has the potential to make an important contribution toward the sustainability of our agriculture, forestry, energy and manufacturing sectors; reduce global warming emissions; protect biodiversity, soil and water quality, and overall environmental health; provide good jobs and markets for communities, workers and farmers; and reduce environmental and industrial health impacts.

But in the rush to develop this sector, these results are by no means guaranteed, and biomass production done wrong could lead in entirely different directions. Without consideration of environmental impacts, increased biomass production could actually decrease biodiversity, soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat, with minimal or negative greenhouse gas reduction benefits. If social and community economic considerations are not met, the expanding biomass sector could increase pressure on alternate land use, extract resources needed by local communities, jeopardize food security, and do nothing to improve the economic situation of rural regions. And if increased biomass production and use is not matched with greater strides in conservation, efficiency and reduced overall consumption, than the sector is unlikely to have more than a very limited impact on the overall sustainability of our energy, materials and transportation sectors.

Therefore, it is vital that biomass production and use is pursued in a way that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and responsible. These draft general principles, developed by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and Friends of the Earth US (FOE-US) for discussion, revision and eventual adoption, are a first step towards identifying through a broad stakeholder process the key sustainability concerns around biomass production and use. These draft principles will have a 90-day comment period (starting August 1, ending October 29), after which a revised version of the principles as well as all comments received, will be posted. Following their completion, these principles could serve as a basis for policy development, criteria for local development and commercialization of biomass projects, and as a framework for drafting more specific technical international standards and codes of practice for sustainable biomass production and use.

Friends of the Earth / Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy