governance systems in the climate regime and sustainable certification has further
complicated the integration of development strategies with national and local priorities (van Asselt et al. 2015).
12 The lack of appropriate cross-level governance
systems can lead to the exploitation of precisely those groups that the biofuels
expansion is purported to help, namely the rural poor (Dauvergne and Neville
2009). Thus, strengthening national and regional institutions in concert with local
governance mechanisms in developing countries would be needed to allow the
sustainable exploitation of their considerable bioenergy potential (Sect. 2.1).
Fourth, there are multiple biophysical and policy constraints that need to be
navigated in this context of climate-compatible bioenergy development when promoting specific modes of bioenergy production and use. A prominent example are
the challenges presented by the high land use intensity of bioenergy systems
compared to other energy options (Emberson et al. 2012; Fritsche et al. 2017)
when choosing the most appropriate combination of feedstocks, end uses and market
orientation in a particular local and national setting (Sect. 2.3). Depending on such
factors, bioenergy systems can be either supportive or disruptive in relation to
climate mitigation and adaptation (Sect. 2.4). It is thus crucial that the choices
made at the policy and implementation levels are well-informed and take these
complexities into account.
Fifth, the direct transition route for some household cooking options is rather
difficult in practice. The logistical challenges in SSA suggest that there are some
advantages for portable and tradeable fuels such as bioethanol. However, the
introduction of new fuels and stove technologies is rather complicated, with many
factors influencing its effective large-scale uptake, e.g. as witnessed through
bioethanol cookstoves promotion in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique (Box 1).
Other direct transition routes such as biogas offer similarly clean renewable options
and benefits related to land-use management. Such options can indeed offer the most
promising pathways for the transition away from traditional biomass, but there are
many practical implementation issues that would need to be addressed (van de Ven
et al. 2019).
Box 1 Policy Lessons from Bioethanol Promotion for Household Cooking
in SSA
Ethiopia has had a long experience promoting ethanol as a cooking fuel.
Following its initial introduction in refugee camps, there was a concerted
effort to commercialise ethanol fuel through the introduction of highly efficient stoves (Stokes and Ebbeson 2005). However, there has been a competition for bioethanol feedstock (molasses) with other sectors, as well as
(continued)
12 A prominent example comes from the EU, where the biofuels targets and sustainability criteria
have had repercussions globally for markets and policies related to bioenergy, forest and agriculture
(Johnson 2011; Pacini et al. 2013; Johnson and Mulugetta 2017) (Chap. 4 Vol. 1).
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F. X. Johnson et al.
complicated the integration of development strategies with national and local priorities (van Asselt et al. 2015).
12 The lack of appropriate cross-level governance
systems can lead to the exploitation of precisely those groups that the biofuels
expansion is purported to help, namely the rural poor (Dauvergne and Neville
2009). Thus, strengthening national and regional institutions in concert with local
governance mechanisms in developing countries would be needed to allow the
sustainable exploitation of their considerable bioenergy potential (Sect. 2.1).
Fourth, there are multiple biophysical and policy constraints that need to be
navigated in this context of climate-compatible bioenergy development when promoting specific modes of bioenergy production and use. A prominent example are
the challenges presented by the high land use intensity of bioenergy systems
compared to other energy options (Emberson et al. 2012; Fritsche et al. 2017)
when choosing the most appropriate combination of feedstocks, end uses and market
orientation in a particular local and national setting (Sect. 2.3). Depending on such
factors, bioenergy systems can be either supportive or disruptive in relation to
climate mitigation and adaptation (Sect. 2.4). It is thus crucial that the choices
made at the policy and implementation levels are well-informed and take these
complexities into account.
Fifth, the direct transition route for some household cooking options is rather
difficult in practice. The logistical challenges in SSA suggest that there are some
advantages for portable and tradeable fuels such as bioethanol. However, the
introduction of new fuels and stove technologies is rather complicated, with many
factors influencing its effective large-scale uptake, e.g. as witnessed through
bioethanol cookstoves promotion in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique (Box 1).
Other direct transition routes such as biogas offer similarly clean renewable options
and benefits related to land-use management. Such options can indeed offer the most
promising pathways for the transition away from traditional biomass, but there are
many practical implementation issues that would need to be addressed (van de Ven
et al. 2019).
Box 1 Policy Lessons from Bioethanol Promotion for Household Cooking
in SSA
Ethiopia has had a long experience promoting ethanol as a cooking fuel.
Following its initial introduction in refugee camps, there was a concerted
effort to commercialise ethanol fuel through the introduction of highly efficient stoves (Stokes and Ebbeson 2005). However, there has been a competition for bioethanol feedstock (molasses) with other sectors, as well as
(continued)
12 A prominent example comes from the EU, where the biofuels targets and sustainability criteria
have had repercussions globally for markets and policies related to bioenergy, forest and agriculture
(Johnson 2011; Pacini et al. 2013; Johnson and Mulugetta 2017) (Chap. 4 Vol. 1).
70
F. X. Johnson et al.