Emissions from bioenergy: Improved accounting options and new policy needs

Abstract

A recent paper by Searchinger highlighted that Annex-I nations do not count CO₂ emissions due to combustion of biomass in their commitments. This is because it is assumed that emissions from use of biomass are accounted for in the land use sector, where they should appear as reductions in carbon stocks. However, if the biomass comes from a non-Annex I country, these reductions are not counted within the Kyoto Protocol. Indeed, even Annex I countries do not necessarily fully account for carbon stock losses associated with bioenergy. This results in overestimating the mitigation benefits of bioenergy. The problem can be rectified by modifying the accounting system, adopting new policy measures or a combination of both. In this paper, we describe possible options and policy measures to improve the accounting of emissions from bioenergy. The pros and cons of the identified solutions are also discussed.