Climate Change and Tourism - UNEP - Division of Technology ...

Box 29 Biofuels
UNWTO, 9 July 2008
Mitigation Policies and Measures
Biofuels are based on biomass, either plant material or waste products from the food chain. All
these raw materials have used carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to grow and are therefore
considered renewable and of a low carbon footprint. However, the production of biofuels still
causes significant CO 2 emissions, as it is usually based on the use of fossil fuels (e.g., transport,
fertilizer). Emissions depend on the material used and the production process. Sugarcane based
ethanol from Brazil, for example, has been found to be very efficient, whereas biofuel derived from
corn in the United States is comparatively carbon intensive.
There are two basic types of biofuel. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil or animal fat. It can be
used in any diesel engine and can be mixed with mineral diesel in any percentage. Ethanol (an
alcohol, like methanol) is the most common biofuel worldwide and it is used in petrol engines. It
can be produced from sugar cane, wheat and corn and other biomass.
With an increasing interest in biofuels for transportation, the question arises whether large
areas can be dedicated to the production of fuel, at the expense of other uses (such as forestry
or food production). One scenario for 2020 shows that if all oil-based transport would
be run on biofuels, area requirements would be in the order of 0.75 to 5.0 billion hectares,
which can be compared to the current agricultural area of 1.5 billion ha, with another 3.5
billion ha being used for cattle grazing. 685 In addition to land use discussions, there is also
concern that plantations will replace natural habitats (sugar cane or palms for oil). Thus, the
production of biofuel can have huge implications for biodiversity and ecosystems in a wider
sense (e.g., affecting global hydrological cycles). Sustainable land use for the production
of biofuel crops has to be considered carefully. In the light of limitations to the production of
biofuels, managing demand for energy remains central to achieving sustainable transportation.
Rail transport and busses
The main advantage of rail and coach is their high energy-efficiency compared to other transport
modes. Rail and road mass transit systems using electricity from the grid can be made carbon neutral
using renewable energy. Swedish Railways, for instance, have recently switched to renewable energy
from wind- and hydropower. Swiss Railways run entirely on renewable energy sources and have done
so many decades already by using their own hydroelectric plants. 686 Both Dutch and Austrian railways
buy growing shares of renewable electricity.
It could be argued that railway and bus systems can offer advantages such as their central location in
many cities, frequent departures, and punctuality. The actual operational energy consumption for trains
depends among others on the speed, landscape relief (ups and downs) and the number of accelerations.
687 There are a number of technological developments that can improve the energy efficiency of trains,
such as hybrid locomotives, regenerative breakage and kinetic energy storage systems. 688 Finally,
railways may further increase load factors. For instance, the French double decker TGVs use almost the
same amount of energy as the single deck ones, but can carry 40% more passengers. The main challenge
for rail will be to reduce energy use for high-speed trains. Overall, railways have good opportunities to
contribute to further reductions in emissions.
Urban public transport systems include light-rail transit and metro or suburban rail, and increasingly
large-capacity buses. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have been developed in Curitiba, Brazil and are
now in place in many South American cities. BRT offers the opportunity to provide high-quality, stateof-the-art
mass transit at a fraction of the cost of other options. Bus Rapid Transit utilises modernised
buses on segregated busways and incorporates such features as pre-board fare collection, safe and
user-friendly transit stations, simplified transfers and routings, and superior customer service. Other
destinations in the Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America have started to take up BRT as well.
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