COP 9 MOP 4 Bonn Germany 2008


It is being increasingly presumed that bio fuels are going to play an extremely important role in meeting global energy needs. In addition to providing energy security and decreased dependence on oil imports, biofuels are stated to have several benefits such as reduced emission of pollutants and GHGs, potential to raise commodity prices, improve farmer income and increase rural employment opportunities especially in agriculture sector. The most common use for biofuels is as liquid fuels for automotive transport. The two basic types of biofuels are ethanol (which replaces petrol and is made from corn, sugarcane, beets, wheat and other grains) and biodiesel (made from oil seeds, waste oil or tree-nuts. Biofuels are used globally and biofuel industries are expanding in Europe, Asia and the Americas. While Europe led by Germany, France and Italy produces approx. 2.2 MT/year, US produces 245,000 t/year of biodiesel. European Union has mandated its members to derive 10% of their fuel demands from bio-fuels by 2010-11. Most of the countries in Europe and the US are now targeting 5% blend in their petroleum fuels.