FOREWORD AMD INTRODUCTION
UNCTAD started working on the trade and development implications of the biofuels sector in 2005. Since then, many events have had an impact on the sector. However, the fundamentals that have pressed countries — developed and developing alike — to promote biofuels as a new or expanding component of their energy mix are still there. Oil prices, though recently decreasing, are still relatively high and extremely volatile. Present geopolitics keep the quest for enhanced energy security high on the policy agenda of many countries. The challenges that climate change and global warming represent for the sustainable development of all countries still need to be addressed through concerted and individual actions. The rural sector in most developing countries has an unprecedented need for appropriate policy measures to overcome economic stagnation. Finally, many impoverished developing countries are looking for new market openings and new investments as beneficial tools to stimulate their economic growth.
At present the biofuels sector is going through turmoil and some analysts question whether biofuels will be able to keep their promises. The eventual outcome will depend on the policies that countries have already put in place and those that may be implemented in the future.
See full Article.
Posts
