GBEP Reaches Agreement on Bioenergy Sustainability Indicators

  A set of 24 indicators covering environmental, social and economic aspects of Bioenergy with regards to its production, processing and utilization has been developed and agreed by the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP). This is a set of voluntary, practical and science-based sustainability indicators with the aim of helping countries to assess and develop sustainable production and use of Bioenergy.This agreement marks the first global, government-level consensus on assessing the sustainable production and use of Bioenergy. The indicators are intended to guide analysis of Bioenergy at the domestic level with a view to informing decision making and facilitating the sustainable development of Bioenergy in a manner consistent with multilateral trade obligations.The 24 indicators identified by GBEP Partners and Observers take a holistic approach to assessing many important aspects of the intersection of Bioenergy and sustainability, including greenhouse gas emissions, biological diversity, the price and supply of a national food basket, access to energy, economic development, and energy security.The uniqueness of the GBEP work on sustainability lies in the fact that it is currently the only initiative seeking to build consensus among a broad range of national governments and international institutions on the sustainability of bioenergy and in the fact that the emphasis is on providing measurements useful for informing national-level policy analysis and development. The GBEP work addresses all forms of Bioenergy. The GBEP sustainability indicators do not feature directions, thresholds or limits and do not constitute a standard; nor are they legally binding on GBEP Partners. Measured over time, the indicators will show progress towards or away from a sustainable development path as determined nationally.