Global biofuels production reduces GHGs dramatically

Just in time for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference now underway in Copenhagen, Denmark, new data once again confirms the significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from global biofuels production.

Prepared by (S&T)2 Consultants Inc, the report demonstrates that world biofuels production in 2009 has reduced global GHG emissions by 123.5 million tonnes. This represents an average reduction of 57% compared with the emissions that would have occurred from production and use of equal quantities of petroleum fuels.

The report found:

• World biofuel production has surpassed 100 billion liters of annual production in 2009. After accounting for energy contents, this is displacing 1.15 million barrels of crude oil per day, which creates approximately 215 million tonnes of GHG emissions annually.
• In 2009, world ethanol production of 73.7 billion liters is estimated to reduce GHG emissions by 87.6 million tonnes—approximately the same as the total GHG emissions reported for Austria in 2007.
• Forecast global production of 16.4 billion liters of biodiesel will reduce GHG emissions by 35.9 million tonnes—greater than the GHG emissions reported for Croatia in 2007.
• The combined GHG emissions reduction from global ethanol and biodiesel production of 123.5 million tonnes represents an average reduction of 57% versus the emissions that would have occurred from production and use of equal quantities of petroleum fuels. This is equal to the national GHG emissions of Belguim or Greece, or the combined emissions of Monaco, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Croatia.

Download the full study, entitled GHG Emission Reductions from World Biofuel Production and Use, at www.globalrfa.org.