Biofuture Summit II
Time & Location
About the event
REGISTRATION, LOGISTICS, PROGRAMME: CLICK HERE FOR THE EVENT´S HOTSITE
UPDATE: Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the joint Biofuture Summit II / BBEST conference has been postponed. The new dates have been tentatively set to November 30 to December 2nd, 2020. Check the open letter from the conference chairs in the event's website.
Twice the strength: Biofuture Summit II and BBEST2020 now together in a landmark conference in São Paulo, Brazil.
Join and help bring together the policies, innovation and science to enable the sustainable low carbon bioeconomy our future requires.
The BBEST Science Conference and the 20-country Biofuture Platform multilateral initiative have joined forces to bring the world´s very best in policies, innovation, science and market outlook in the bioenergy and bioeconomy sectors to Brazil, in a landmark event which will take place from March 30 – April 1st.
Further details and registration can be accessed through the event's hotsite bbest-biofuture.org
Biofuture Summit and BBEST 2020 will bring together leading specialists, policy makers and entrepreneurs to discuss and present the future of global bioenergy and bioeconomy.
BACKGROUND
Encouraging progress of renewable energy in the power sector has unfortunately not been matched by equivalent progress in the transport, heat and industry sectors. As important as electricity is, it only represents a mere 20% of total world energy demand, even considering its recent growth.
Today, the use of fossil fuels in transportation and industrial production contributes to up to 35% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Modern, sustainable bioenergy — “the overlooked giant of the renewable energy field,” according to IEA’s Executive Director, Faith Birol — is the only renewable source with enough flexibility to impact all of these sectors, as well as electricity. Biomass is also the only alternative to the fossil-based materials, including the oil-based chemicals and plastics the global economy depends on.
Hence, even when already accounting for the most optimistic progress curves in electrification of other sectors and of renewable energy in the power sector, sustainable biofuels, bioenergy, and bioproducts must play an indispensable role in tackling these emissions and fighting climate change. These are the facts established in all climate and econometric models, scenarios and projections by agencies such as the IPCC, IEA, IRENA and REN21, among others.
After almost a decade of an unjustifiable near-absence from the international debate on the transition to a low emissions world, the low carbon bioeconomy is on its way to the center stage. However, growth and investment in the sustainable low carbon bioeconomy is much below what would be necessary to meet targets. Transport biofuels and bio-based products need particular attention.
Launched in December 2018 by the Biofuture Platform coalition of countries, the “Creating the Biofuture” report linked the insufficient progress with barriers to growth related to a) high levels of perceived risk to investors; b) lack of initial economies of scale (also known as “valley of death”); c) persistent fossil-fuel subsidies; d) unfavorable and/or unstable policy frameworks; and e) an unreliable supply of competitively priced, sustainable feedstock.
Having helped to achieve an increasing awareness of the need to scale up the sustainable low carbon bioeconomy, and identified the main barriers to growth, the Biofuture Platform sets out to take the next logical step. As a follow-up to its landmark first edition in 2017, the Biofuture Summit II will explore ways to help its member countries and the global community to converge on the best roadmap to overcome those barriers and put the sustainable low carbon bioeconomy back on track.