ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of human existence, people have been using bioenergy as a source of heat and power for various day-to-day activities. Bioenergy is a source of renewable energy that is derived from living biomass and thus, presents many attractive avenues to meet several current challenges, such as climate change mitigation, energy security and rural poverty reduction. The rising price of conventional fossil fuels and the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases by burning them pose several socio-economic and environmental threats, motivating many countries across the globe to explore environmentally friendly alternative sources to fossil fuels. In this context, bioenergy has emerged as one such option, as it provides an alternative to fossil fuels and is being globally promoted as a cleaner and greener source of energy. However, there are some serious risks associated with bioenergy, like land use change, food insecurity, environment degradation and biodiversity loss. Therefore, an appropriate understanding of the benefits and threats of bioenergy among stakeholders and the general public is important for implementing policies related to bioenergy production and use. The chapter presents an account of bioenergy versus fossil fuels, types of biofuels, and threat and benefit perceptions of bioenergy, with special reference to climate change.
