GRFA: Biofuels must be larger part of future energy mix

As world and energy industry leaders gathered this week in Dubai at the World Energy Forum (WEF) to chart a roadmap for a sustainable energy mix, GRFA renewed its call for the adoption of policies that ensure biofuels are a growing part of the world’s future energy mix.

The WEF is described as facilitating a conversation and an exchange of ideas between heads of state, national energy ministers, and energy industry leaders. The WEF says its goal is to find solutions to the challenges facing a sustainable energy future through technological innovations, research and political will.

”We cannot continue to rely on our addiction to oil that continues to hamper economic growth, exacerbate climate change and drive up food prices,”  stated Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the GRFA.

According to the GRFA, biofuels contributed $277.3 billion to the global economy and supported nearly 1.4 million jobs in 2010. This year ethanol production is forecasted to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 100 million tonnes globally. This is a reduction of 276,000 tonnes of GHGs per day, which is the equivalent of approximately 20.2 million cars being taken off the road per year.

Last year the International Energy Agency released, Technology Roadmap – Biofuels for Transport, which stated that biofuels could make up 27 % of the world’s transport fuels by 2050, eliminate 2.1 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions and not jeopardize food security.

Recently the IEA called for biofuels production to double so their CO2 reduction goal could be met by 2020.

“World and energy industry leaders must follow IEA recommendations and adopt policies that ensures global biofuels production doubles in the coming years to meet CO2 reduction goals and reduce our dangerous reliance on crude oil imports,” said Baker.