Recommendations for action

The use of biomass as a renewable energy resource opens up opportunities but also involves risks. On the one hand, it raises hopes that dependence on imported oil and gas can be reduced, or that biofuels may mitigate the CO₂ emissions of road transport. On the other, it gives rise to new fears – for example, the possibility that the cultivation of energy crops may increase the likelihood of land-use conflicts arising from competition between food production, nature conservation and bioenergy. The issue is a dynamic and highly complex one, attended by much scientific uncertainty and involving a multiplicity of interests. For these reasons it has not been possible in the past to undertake an integrated assessment of the opportunities and risks of bioenergy in the light of the contribution it can make to sustainable development. WBGU sets out to show that bioenergy can be used in sustainable ways that exploit many of the opportunities while keeping many of the risks at a low level.