INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF FOOD & FUEL
(+ policy roundtable to discuss integrated strategy of avoided deforestation carbon credits & biofuels)
Oct. 13-18, '09 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Palmas, Tocantins, BrazilOctober 14-17th - International Biofuels Conference and various technical workshops
October 13th - Meeting: Creating state and city alliances around a sustainability platform
October 14th - Workshop: Supplying sustainable biofuels to the airline industry and the impact of avoided deforestation carbon trading on overcoming land use concerns
October 14th - Workshop: land use change and biofuels, drivers, solutions and integrated strategies
October 15th - Workshop: Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
October 15th - Workshop: Supplying sustainable low carbon fuels to ports & the shipping industry
October 15th - Workshop: Sugar cane to produce alcohol/2nd gen. biofuels, bio-refineries/algae
October 15th -Workshop methodology for developing & managing a carbon credit program for avoided deforestation or tree planting in the Amazon & NE Brazil
October 16th -Workshop on value of avoided deforestation Co2 program and biofuels for China in advancing a viable strategy for reducing global carbon emissions
October 16th- Workshop to evaluate planting, harvest & process strategies for oil seeds & trees (Jotropha, Macauba, Moringa, Palm), nitrogen fixing, food co-production
October 17h- Workshop "Food vs. Fuels" or "Food & Fuels" will examine biofuel policy based on co-production of food & fuel, particularly in developing countries
October 17th - Workshop: Investment opportunities, concerns and finance structure for biofuels
October 18h -Policy Roundtable avoided deforestation, sustainable development, market access
3- 14-19, 2010 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil March 15-19th - International Biofuels Conference and various technical workshops
March 14th - Meeting: State and city alliances and sustainability networking
March 15th - Workshop: Progress in developing sustainable biofuels to the airline industry
March 15th - Workshop: A look at integrated strategies for land use change, deforestation
March 16th - Workshop: Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
March 16th - Workshop: Biofuel, efficiency, carbon trading for ports & the shipping industry
March 16th - Workshop: Plans for 2nd gen. biofuels,, bio-refineries & algae in Brazil
March 17th - Workshop to review plan for managing Co2 credit program for deforestation
March 17th - Workshop to define interest of China in global avoided deforestation plan, biofuel
March17th - Workshop to evaluate plan for planting for oil seed trees on 1 mil. hectares in MA
March 18th - Workshop "Food vs. Fuels" or "Food & Fuels" will examine specific plans for co-production of food & fuel, particularly in projects in NE Brazil and Amazon
March18th - Workshop: Investment opportunities, concerns and finance structure for biofuels
March 19th - Policy Roundtable avoided deforestation, sustainable development, market access
WORKSHOPS:
Oil Seed Tree Planting and Food Co-Production, Minimizing Nitrogen GHG Impacts:
The objective of the Oil Seed Tree Planting workshops in 2009 & 2010 is to explore specific agricultural and production issues with a set of oil seed tree options in looking at the planting cost and feasibility, total production yield and value, oil output comparisons, by-product value as meal, fertilizer, food additive or other uses and other economic evaluations. Three or four oil seed trees will be chosen including jotropha, macauba, moringa olifeira and palm. The feasibility of large scale planting will be explored in looking at issues of layout of tree planting and drainage, automation of planting, availability of seedlings and farm preparation and planting considerations. New seed and species developments in all oil seed trees will be explored, particularly any companies with yields well above yields typically discussed in scientific literature. Specific regions where it may be possible to plant various oil seeds will be considered in looking at rain levels, rain timing, dry periods and need for irrigation. Comparisons of input requirement of oil seed trees in terms of fertilizer, insecticide, fungicide or other management costs will also be compared, especially in looking at how new technologies could reduce input costs. Key in the evaluation and comparison of oil seed trees is the feasibility of co-planting food between trees or using land for grazing of animals. The feasibility of these strategies in looking a tree fruit harvest and timing, access to land with equipment, seasonality of rain, value of food or animals and other issues will also be considered. Also important will be to look at harvest costs and requirements, labor cost and availability, logistics issues with movement of fruits to processing and reutilization of byproducts. Processing costs and logistics for processing of oil seeds and or fruits will also be considered. Finally the value of the various oils in biofuel and edible oil markets will be compared in looking at both current and future markets. The workshop will also consider the volume of food production possible in intercropping strategies with tree production and compare it to food production with a rotation cropping approach where high oil content seeds are rotated with nitrogen fixing crops like faba beans or black beans to minimize or eliminate nitrogen fertilizer application. The oil seed tree strategy will also be compared with rotation planting of crops. Impacts irrigation might have on water reservoir depletion in desert areas will be explored. Strategies to use aquaculture to further food/fertilizer production in combination with irrigation will be examined.
Sugar Cane to Produce Alcohol/2nd Gen. Biofuels, Role of Bio-refineries & Algae Sequestration
These varied themes will be weaved together in a workshop that discusses both the current investment opportunities in production of sugar cane and alcohol in Northeast Brazil and how this production sector could greatly expand with the introduction of 2nd generation technologies to process bagasse into fuel. The workshop will include participation by the leading sugar cane growers and alcohol producers in Brazil, which leads the world in production of alcohol. The successful expansion of the sugar cane industry into the Northeast and the impact on jobs, land use and fuel supply will be discussed. Also invited will be various technology providers that can convert bagasse to liquid chemicals or fuels that will discuss the status of the technology, capital and production costs, incentive requirements and other considerations. The ability to use bagasse for fuel production offers an opportunity o triple fuel production from the same amount of sugar cane, thereby greatly improving biofuel sustainability of first and second generation fuels and achieving CO2 reductions of up to 200%. An important part of this plan also involves investments in bio-refinery capacity in Brazil in conjunction with investments now being made in petroleum refineries. Finally, there is the opportunity to improve petroleum fuel carbon efficiency through carbon sequestration with algae. The workshop will explore the feasibility of algae production in Brazil and role of algae as a means to provide carbon sequestration if algae is converted to biochemicals.
Sustainable Biofuels for Airlines, Avoided Deforestation Carbon Trading & Impacts on Land Use
The airline industry is under pressure to come up with sustainable carbon and fuel strategies as it prepares for mandatory requirements to use a 5% blend of biofuels in jet engines and enter into the EU ETS (European Trading Scheme) for carbon in Europe starting in 2012. EU ETS carbon credit costs could be high and airlines a major buyer of credits if they are required to operate under EU ETS tight trading rules. Jets also consume large amounts of fuel among a limited number of companies so they are susceptible to volatility in fuel markets and fuel is a major operating cost. Fuel quality must be much higher than other sectors and regulatory pathways to fuel approval are high. Furthermore, they are influenced by consumer pressure, since airline travel is often an option and passengers sometimes feel guilty about environmental impacts of travel. On the bright side, they also are very motivated to consider alternatives, can purchase large quantities of biofuel on a future offtake contract basis and have capital and corporate interest in solutions to fuel and carbon credit problems they face in the future. The airline industry has formed a biofuel users group and various airline industry associations are working on biofuels use, including five demonstration flights with biofuels that have occurred in 2008 and 2009. The workshop will introduce the airline industry to the Amazon and Northeast region and discuss the unique potential it has to provide both feedstock and processing capacity for producing renewable jet fuel and solutions to carbon cost issues. This can include all of the feedstock and conversion options including oil, tallow, bagasse, biomass or other options. Also discussed will be the feasibility of establishing an Amazon wide avoided deforestation program and how that could influence carbon strategies of airlines as they consider a global carbon scheme. Of particular interest will be to explore how the combination of biofuels and carbon trading for avoided deforestation could limit uncertainty about carbon benefits of biofuel production by eliminating any threat of indirect land use change. Timing the workshop prior to the Policy Roundtable will allow for a targeted discussion of the feasibility of various options in looking at how to frame policies in Europe, USA and other areas and in looking at global carbon and biofuel strategies.
Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
An important economic development outcome of preserving a large area of forest such as the Amazon to obtain carbon credits is the potential it offers to promote ecotourism to the region to offset any impacts from reduced logging, ranching or other activities. This can be of particular interest to airlines because of the opportunities to promote trips to the region to visit areas being saved as a result of airline or customer investments in carbon credits. The workshop will explore the feasibility of this economic development strategy and define issues in looking at airline operations, promotion, marketing and environmental strategies. The feasibility of incorporating local companies and indigenous groups in any ecotourism development will also be explored. Additional benefits of artisan craft sales will also be examined. Sensitivity to preservation of the cultural and natural environment and avoiding development and environmental problems will also be discussed, particularly in looking at endangered species, animal and bird trade and other factors.
Sustainable Low Co2 Fuels/Co2 Trading to Lower Shipping Emissions (Ports, Ships, Trucks Trains)
The maritime industry is exempted from any of the Kyoto requirements for carbon reductions that are now facing most industries that are major emitters. Yet maritime shipping is responsible for 4% of global carbon emissions and a large share of total air pollution. The International Maritime, EU regulators, Port and Harbors and others are evaluating global and regional carbon regulation, carbon reduction options and other issues as they deal with twin issues of the increasing role of the shipping industry in overall air pollution and climate change problems at a local, national and international level. The shipping industry could also be a major buyer of carbon credits if it falls under some kind of cap and trade requirements globally. Furthermore, there may be incentives tied to the promotion of low carbon shipping that could influence interest of shipping companies in use of biofuels, purchase of carbon credits or other strategies. The workshop will explore shipping industry interest in biofuels or efficiency including representatives of trucking, rail, barge, tug and maritime ships (freight and cruise). These responses will be considered in looking at a role shippers might play in carbon credit schemes for avoided deforestation, biofuels utilization & use of fuel and lubricant additives to improve burning efficiency and emissions.
Carbon Credits for Avoided Deforestation or Tree Planting in the Amazon Region
A technical workshop evaluating the feasibility of earning carbon credits in international markets will be evaluated in looking at developing a carbon trade that works within the rule framework of various markets for carbon credits and in considering an Amazon wide avoided deforestation plan. A plan already discussed by the Governors of the 9 Amazon states in a pre-meeting will be discussed at this workshop to examine technical issues, management and credit market approval of the plan. Participation in the workshop by those developing cap and trade programs and regulation of carbon in new markets such as airline, maritime, USA and California would be invited to identify the requirements necessary to gain participation by their industries, states or countries. Oil seed tree planting or other tree planting options would also be considered in looking at technical issues and practicality of earning carbon credits given soil, vegetation and other issues. Another important focus will be to determine how the implementation of this program could address concerns about indirect land use change impacts of biofuels development on land on the edge of the Amazon. Technical and policy issues with this strategy will be discussed in understanding the impact of regulation dealing with direct/indirect land use change and how a carbon trading program in conjunction with biofuels could offer an integrated strategy for addressing agricultural pressures on development of new forest lands.
Avoided Deforestation Co2 program and Biofuels for China in Developing its Carbon Emission Plan
China is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and its growth of emissions is faster than any other country. This means it is unlikely that the USA will join Kyoto targets for CO2 unless there is an equivalent plan for carbon reductions from China. Avoided deforestation and biofuel both offer an interesting option to China by providing a low cost source of credits for meeting targets and by providing a source of fuel for their rapidly growing economy. Various Chinese companies that do business in Brazil will be invited to discuss possible trade opportunities in low carbon fuels, biofuels and other investment areas. Investment managers for Chinese capital funds and government investment funds will also be invited to help understand how this opportunity compares to other efficiency, biofuel and carbon options.
Biofuels Investor Workshop:
Equity and debt investors look at various aspects of biofuel opportunities in considering issues related to risk, economic returns, project objectives, market factors and offtake agreements. North and Northeast Brazil offer attractive elements for biofuel feedstock development including low land cost, high productivity, low labor cost and a supportive government environment. There is also a national market that is well defined for biofuels from government requirements for biodiesel and ethanol. At the same time, there are a host of logistic, sustainability and export market barriers that affect investor interest. These factors will all be evaluated in a workshop where various specific projects will be discussed concerning investments in biofuels in the region. The workshop will help define interests and concerns of investors and lead to specific financing of various feedstock and biofuel conversion projects to produce alcohol, bio-gasoline, bio-jet fuel and biodiesel. The focus of the workshop will be to bring together project developers and finance sources and define what the requirements are for financing projects, how to overcome development and finance risks and barriers, land use ownership, tax issues and incentives and other practical issues in developing projects or financing them. Also discussed will be how other elements in the biofuels conference could reduce market risk in developing biofuels projects by improving sustainability and improving global market access.
Urban Bio-Alliance Meetings : 2009 and 2010
The Urban Bio-Alliance has been set up in 2008 specifically to assist in the formation of alliances between states and cities in Brazil and other states and cities internationally. The primary focus of alliances is to improve sustainability of cities and states while also enhancing the quality of life through various exchanges between cities & states in different countries. This includes the exchange of ideas, strategy, technology and products that can enhance sustainability. A key focus of the first two conferences of the organization will be to invite cities and states to the meeting that would be interested in how products and approaches to biofuels and carbon trading could help cities globally in improving transportation & industry efficiency, carbon emissions and overall sustainability. Urban BioAlliance will also help build public interest in the sustainability initiative through international football matches, donations of equipment to Brazil, creation of parks, TV shows, articles and other outreach. The first workshop in conjunction with the biofuels conference in Tocantins will be to help build initial alliances between cities and states from Europe, USA, Japan, China, India and Brazil. This will be followed up in 2010 with exchanges, donations, cooperative agreements, carbon trades, park formation, tree planting & increased trade.
Policy Roundtable on Avoided Deforestation & Sustainable Development
The organization of the week of Conference events is meant to provide the technical input to support a policy discussion about a specific proposal; 1) develop a major carbon credit program in the Amazon connected with avoided deforestation, 2) plant biofuel crops in agricultural areas outside the Amazon to provide economic alternatives to logging, ranch development and charcoal production, 3) obtain access to international biofuel markets as a result of sustainability commitments. The objective is to introduce a specific carbon trading program that has already been evaluated and approved by the 9 states in the Amazon. This would involve a carbon trading program based on sale of carbon credits to states, industries and countries that are major emitters and have not yet been regulated or required to reduce emissions under the UNFCC Kyoto Protocols (airline, maritime, USA, China) but face regulation in the near future. The specific proposal would include mechanisms to insure the avoided deforestation is real, permanent, surplus, enforceable and quanSustainable Bio Brazil.com
(+ policy roundtable to discuss integrated strategy of avoided deforestation carbon credits & biofuels)
Oct. 13-18, '09 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil
3- 14-19, 2010 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil
WORKSHOPS:
Oil Seed Tree Planting and Food Co-Production, Minimizing Nitrogen GHG Impacts:
The objective of the Oil Seed Tree Planting workshops in 2009 & 2010 is to explore specific agricultural and production issues with a set of oil seed tree options in looking at the planting cost and feasibility, total production yield and value, oil output comparisons, by-product value as meal, fertilizer, food additive or other uses and other economic evaluations. Three or four oil seed trees will be chosen including jotropha, macauba, moringa olifeira and palm. The feasibility of large scale planting will be explored in looking at issues of layout of tree planting and drainage, automation of planting, availability of seedlings and farm preparation and planting considerations. New seed and species developments in all oil seed trees will be explored, particularly any companies with yields well above yields typically discussed in scientific literature. Specific regions where it may be possible to plant various oil seeds will be considered in looking at rain levels, rain timing, dry periods and need for irrigation. Comparisons of input requirement of oil seed trees in terms of fertilizer, insecticide, fungicide or other management costs will also be compared, especially in looking at how new technologies could reduce input costs. Key in the evaluation and comparison of oil seed trees is the feasibility of co-planting food between trees or using land for grazing of animals. The feasibility of these strategies in looking a tree fruit harvest and timing, access to land with equipment, seasonality of rain, value of food or animals and other issues will also be considered. Also important will be to look at harvest costs and requirements, labor cost and availability, logistics issues with movement of fruits to processing and reutilization of byproducts. Processing costs and logistics for processing of oil seeds and or fruits will also be considered. Finally the value of the various oils in biofuel and edible oil markets will be compared in looking at both current and future markets. The workshop will also consider the volume of food production possible in intercropping strategies with tree production and compare it to food production with a rotation cropping approach where high oil content seeds are rotated with nitrogen fixing crops like faba beans or black beans to minimize or eliminate nitrogen fertilizer application. The oil seed tree strategy will also be compared with rotation planting of crops. Impacts irrigation might have on water reservoir depletion in desert areas will be explored. Strategies to use aquaculture to further food/fertilizer production in combination with irrigation will be examined.
Sugar Cane to Produce Alcohol/2nd Gen. Biofuels, Role of Bio-refineries & Algae Sequestration
These varied themes will be weaved together in a workshop that discusses both the current investment opportunities in production of sugar cane and alcohol in Northeast Brazil and how this production sector could greatly expand with the introduction of 2nd generation technologies to process bagasse into fuel. The workshop will include participation by the leading sugar cane growers and alcohol producers in Brazil, which leads the world in production of alcohol. The successful expansion of the sugar cane industry into the Northeast and the impact on jobs, land use and fuel supply will be discussed. Also invited will be various technology providers that can convert bagasse to liquid chemicals or fuels that will discuss the status of the technology, capital and production costs, incentive requirements and other considerations. The ability to use bagasse for fuel production offers an opportunity o triple fuel production from the same amount of sugar cane, thereby greatly improving biofuel sustainability of first and second generation fuels and achieving CO2 reductions of up to 200%. An important part of this plan also involves investments in bio-refinery capacity in Brazil in conjunction with investments now being made in petroleum refineries. Finally, there is the opportunity to improve petroleum fuel carbon efficiency through carbon sequestration with algae. The workshop will explore the feasibility of algae production in Brazil and role of algae as a means to provide carbon sequestration if algae is converted to biochemicals.
Sustainable Biofuels for Airlines, Avoided Deforestation Carbon Trading & Impacts on Land Use
The airline industry is under pressure to come up with sustainable carbon and fuel strategies as it prepares for mandatory requirements to use a 5% blend of biofuels in jet engines and enter into the EU ETS (European Trading Scheme) for carbon in Europe starting in 2012. EU ETS carbon credit costs could be high and airlines a major buyer of credits if they are required to operate under EU ETS tight trading rules. Jets also consume large amounts of fuel among a limited number of companies so they are susceptible to volatility in fuel markets and fuel is a major operating cost. Fuel quality must be much higher than other sectors and regulatory pathways to fuel approval are high. Furthermore, they are influenced by consumer pressure, since airline travel is often an option and passengers sometimes feel guilty about environmental impacts of travel. On the bright side, they also are very motivated to consider alternatives, can purchase large quantities of biofuel on a future offtake contract basis and have capital and corporate interest in solutions to fuel and carbon credit problems they face in the future. The airline industry has formed a biofuel users group and various airline industry associations are working on biofuels use, including five demonstration flights with biofuels that have occurred in 2008 and 2009. The workshop will introduce the airline industry to the Amazon and Northeast region and discuss the unique potential it has to provide both feedstock and processing capacity for producing renewable jet fuel and solutions to carbon cost issues. This can include all of the feedstock and conversion options including oil, tallow, bagasse, biomass or other options. Also discussed will be the feasibility of establishing an Amazon wide avoided deforestation program and how that could influence carbon strategies of airlines as they consider a global carbon scheme. Of particular interest will be to explore how the combination of biofuels and carbon trading for avoided deforestation could limit uncertainty about carbon benefits of biofuel production by eliminating any threat of indirect land use change. Timing the workshop prior to the Policy Roundtable will allow for a targeted discussion of the feasibility of various options in looking at how to frame policies in Europe, USA and other areas and in looking at global carbon and biofuel strategies.
Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
An important economic development outcome of preserving a large area of forest such as the Amazon to obtain carbon credits is the potential it offers to promote ecotourism to the region to offset any impacts from reduced logging, ranching or other activities. This can be of particular interest to airlines because of the opportunities to promote trips to the region to visit areas being saved as a result of airline or customer investments in carbon credits. The workshop will explore the feasibility of this economic development strategy and define issues in looking at airline operations, promotion, marketing and environmental strategies. The feasibility of incorporating local companies and indigenous groups in any ecotourism development will also be explored. Additional benefits of artisan craft sales will also be examined. Sensitivity to preservation of the cultural and natural environment and avoiding development and environmental problems will also be discussed, particularly in looking at endangered species, animal and bird trade and other factors.
Sustainable Low Co2 Fuels/Co2 Trading to Lower Shipping Emissions (Ports, Ships, Trucks Trains)
The maritime industry is exempted from any of the Kyoto requirements for carbon reductions that are now facing most industries that are major emitters. Yet maritime shipping is responsible for 4% of global carbon emissions and a large share of total air pollution. The International Maritime, EU regulators, Port and Harbors and others are evaluating global and regional carbon regulation, carbon reduction options and other issues as they deal with twin issues of the increasing role of the shipping industry in overall air pollution and climate change problems at a local, national and international level. The shipping industry could also be a major buyer of carbon credits if it falls under some kind of cap and trade requirements globally. Furthermore, there may be incentives tied to the promotion of low carbon shipping that could influence interest of shipping companies in use of biofuels, purchase of carbon credits or other strategies. The workshop will explore shipping industry interest in biofuels or efficiency including representatives of trucking, rail, barge, tug and maritime ships (freight and cruise). These responses will be considered in looking at a role shippers might play in carbon credit schemes for avoided deforestation, biofuels utilization & use of fuel and lubricant additives to improve burning efficiency and emissions.
Carbon Credits for Avoided Deforestation or Tree Planting in the Amazon Region
A technical workshop evaluating the feasibility of earning carbon credits in international markets will be evaluated in looking at developing a carbon trade that works within the rule framework of various markets for carbon credits and in considering an Amazon wide avoided deforestation plan. A plan already discussed by the Governors of the 9 Amazon states in a pre-meeting will be discussed at this workshop to examine technical issues, management and credit market approval of the plan. Participation in the workshop by those developing cap and trade programs and regulation of carbon in new markets such as airline, maritime, USA and California would be invited to identify the requirements necessary to gain participation by their industries, states or countries. Oil seed tree planting or other tree planting options would also be considered in looking at technical issues and practicality of earning carbon credits given soil, vegetation and other issues. Another important focus will be to determine how the implementation of this program could address concerns about indirect land use change impacts of biofuels development on land on the edge of the Amazon. Technical and policy issues with this strategy will be discussed in understanding the impact of regulation dealing with direct/indirect land use change and how a carbon trading program in conjunction with biofuels could offer an integrated strategy for addressing agricultural pressures on development of new forest lands.
Avoided Deforestation Co2 program and Biofuels for China in Developing its Carbon Emission Plan
China is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and its growth of emissions is faster than any other country. This means it is unlikely that the USA will join Kyoto targets for CO2 unless there is an equivalent plan for carbon reductions from China. Avoided deforestation and biofuel both offer an interesting option to China by providing a low cost source of credits for meeting targets and by providing a source of fuel for their rapidly growing economy. Various Chinese companies that do business in Brazil will be invited to discuss possible trade opportunities in low carbon fuels, biofuels and other investment areas. Investment managers for Chinese capital funds and government investment funds will also be invited to help understand how this opportunity compares to other efficiency, biofuel and carbon options.
Biofuels Investor Workshop:
Equity and debt investors look at various aspects of biofuel opportunities in considering issues related to risk, economic returns, project objectives, market factors and offtake agreements. North and Northeast Brazil offer attractive elements for biofuel feedstock development including low land cost, high productivity, low labor cost and a supportive government environment. There is also a national market that is well defined for biofuels from government requirements for biodiesel and ethanol. At the same time, there are a host of logistic, sustainability and export market barriers that affect investor interest. These factors will all be evaluated in a workshop where various specific projects will be discussed concerning investments in biofuels in the region. The workshop will help define interests and concerns of investors and lead to specific financing of various feedstock and biofuel conversion projects to produce alcohol, bio-gasoline, bio-jet fuel and biodiesel. The focus of the workshop will be to bring together project developers and finance sources and define what the requirements are for financing projects, how to overcome development and finance risks and barriers, land use ownership, tax issues and incentives and other practical issues in developing projects or financing them. Also discussed will be how other elements in the biofuels conference could reduce market risk in developing biofuels projects by improving sustainability and improving global market access.
Urban Bio-Alliance Meetings : 2009 and 2010
The Urban Bio-Alliance has been set up in 2008 specifically to assist in the formation of alliances between states and cities in Brazil and other states and cities internationally. The primary focus of alliances is to improve sustainability of cities and states while also enhancing the quality of life through various exchanges between cities & states in different countries. This includes the exchange of ideas, strategy, technology and products that can enhance sustainability. A key focus of the first two conferences of the organization will be to invite cities and states to the meeting that would be interested in how products and approaches to biofuels and carbon trading could help cities globally in improving transportation & industry efficiency, carbon emissions and overall sustainability. Urban BioAlliance will also help build public interest in the sustainability initiative through international football matches, donations of equipment to Brazil, creation of parks, TV shows, articles and other outreach. The first workshop in conjunction with the biofuels conference in Tocantins will be to help build initial alliances between cities and states from Europe, USA, Japan, China, India and Brazil. This will be followed up in 2010 with exchanges, donations, cooperative agreements, carbon trades, park formation, tree planting & increased trade.
Policy Roundtable on Avoided Deforestation & Sustainable Development
The organization of the week of Conference events is meant to provide the technical input to support a policy discussion about a specific proposal; 1) develop a major carbon credit program in the Amazon connected with avoided deforestation, 2) plant biofuel crops in agricultural areas outside the Amazon to provide economic alternatives to logging, ranch development and charcoal production, 3) obtain access to international biofuel markets as a result of sustainability commitments. The objective is to introduce a specific carbon trading program that has already been evaluated and approved by the 9 states in the Amazon. This would involve a carbon trading program based on sale of carbon credits to states, industries and countries that are major emitters and have not yet been regulated or required to reduce emissions under the UNFCC Kyoto Protocols (airline, maritime, USA, China) but face regulation in the near future. The specific proposal would include mechanisms to insure the avoided deforestation is real, permanent, surplus, enforceable and quan
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF FOOD & FUEL
(+ policy roundtable to discuss integrated strategy of avoided deforestation carbon credits & biofuels)
Oct. 13-18, '09 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Palmas, Tocantins, BrazilOctober 14-17th - International Biofuels Conference and various technical workshops
October 13th - Meeting: Creating state and city alliances around a sustainability platform
October 14th - Workshop: Supplying sustainable biofuels to the airline industry and the impact of avoided deforestation carbon trading on overcoming land use concerns
October 14th - Workshop: land use change and biofuels, drivers, solutions and integrated strategies
October 15th - Workshop: Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
October 15th - Workshop: Supplying sustainable low carbon fuels to ports & the shipping industry
October 15th - Workshop: Sugar cane to produce alcohol/2nd gen. biofuels, bio-refineries/algae
October 15th -Workshop methodology for developing & managing a carbon credit program for avoided deforestation or tree planting in the Amazon & NE Brazil
October 16th -Workshop on value of avoided deforestation Co2 program and biofuels for China in advancing a viable strategy for reducing global carbon emissions
October 16th- Workshop to evaluate planting, harvest & process strategies for oil seeds & trees (Jotropha, Macauba, Moringa, Palm), nitrogen fixing, food co-production
October 17h- Workshop "Food vs. Fuels" or "Food & Fuels" will examine biofuel policy based on co-production of food & fuel, particularly in developing countries
October 17th - Workshop: Investment opportunities, concerns and finance structure for biofuels
October 18h -Policy Roundtable avoided deforestation, sustainable development, market access
3- 14-19, 2010 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil March 15-19th - International Biofuels Conference and various technical workshops
March 14th - Meeting: State and city alliances and sustainability networking
March 15th - Workshop: Progress in developing sustainable biofuels to the airline industry
March 15th - Workshop: A look at integrated strategies for land use change, deforestation
March 16th - Workshop: Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
March 16th - Workshop: Biofuel, efficiency, carbon trading for ports & the shipping industry
March 16th - Workshop: Plans for 2nd gen. biofuels,, bio-refineries & algae in Brazil
March 17th - Workshop to review plan for managing Co2 credit program for deforestation
March 17th - Workshop to define interest of China in global avoided deforestation plan, biofuel
March17th - Workshop to evaluate plan for planting for oil seed trees on 1 mil. hectares in MA
March 18th - Workshop "Food vs. Fuels" or "Food & Fuels" will examine specific plans for co-production of food & fuel, particularly in projects in NE Brazil and Amazon
March18th - Workshop: Investment opportunities, concerns and finance structure for biofuels
March 19th - Policy Roundtable avoided deforestation, sustainable development, market access
WORKSHOPS:
Oil Seed Tree Planting and Food Co-Production, Minimizing Nitrogen GHG Impacts:
The objective of the Oil Seed Tree Planting workshops in 2009 & 2010 is to explore specific agricultural and production issues with a set of oil seed tree options in looking at the planting cost and feasibility, total production yield and value, oil output comparisons, by-product value as meal, fertilizer, food additive or other uses and other economic evaluations. Three or four oil seed trees will be chosen including jotropha, macauba, moringa olifeira and palm. The feasibility of large scale planting will be explored in looking at issues of layout of tree planting and drainage, automation of planting, availability of seedlings and farm preparation and planting considerations. New seed and species developments in all oil seed trees will be explored, particularly any companies with yields well above yields typically discussed in scientific literature. Specific regions where it may be possible to plant various oil seeds will be considered in looking at rain levels, rain timing, dry periods and need for irrigation. Comparisons of input requirement of oil seed trees in terms of fertilizer, insecticide, fungicide or other management costs will also be compared, especially in looking at how new technologies could reduce input costs. Key in the evaluation and comparison of oil seed trees is the feasibility of co-planting food between trees or using land for grazing of animals. The feasibility of these strategies in looking a tree fruit harvest and timing, access to land with equipment, seasonality of rain, value of food or animals and other issues will also be considered. Also important will be to look at harvest costs and requirements, labor cost and availability, logistics issues with movement of fruits to processing and reutilization of byproducts. Processing costs and logistics for processing of oil seeds and or fruits will also be considered. Finally the value of the various oils in biofuel and edible oil markets will be compared in looking at both current and future markets. The workshop will also consider the volume of food production possible in intercropping strategies with tree production and compare it to food production with a rotation cropping approach where high oil content seeds are rotated with nitrogen fixing crops like faba beans or black beans to minimize or eliminate nitrogen fertilizer application. The oil seed tree strategy will also be compared with rotation planting of crops. Impacts irrigation might have on water reservoir depletion in desert areas will be explored. Strategies to use aquaculture to further food/fertilizer production in combination with irrigation will be examined.
Sugar Cane to Produce Alcohol/2nd Gen. Biofuels, Role of Bio-refineries & Algae Sequestration
These varied themes will be weaved together in a workshop that discusses both the current investment opportunities in production of sugar cane and alcohol in Northeast Brazil and how this production sector could greatly expand with the introduction of 2nd generation technologies to process bagasse into fuel. The workshop will include participation by the leading sugar cane growers and alcohol producers in Brazil, which leads the world in production of alcohol. The successful expansion of the sugar cane industry into the Northeast and the impact on jobs, land use and fuel supply will be discussed. Also invited will be various technology providers that can convert bagasse to liquid chemicals or fuels that will discuss the status of the technology, capital and production costs, incentive requirements and other considerations. The ability to use bagasse for fuel production offers an opportunity o triple fuel production from the same amount of sugar cane, thereby greatly improving biofuel sustainability of first and second generation fuels and achieving CO2 reductions of up to 200%. An important part of this plan also involves investments in bio-refinery capacity in Brazil in conjunction with investments now being made in petroleum refineries. Finally, there is the opportunity to improve petroleum fuel carbon efficiency through carbon sequestration with algae. The workshop will explore the feasibility of algae production in Brazil and role of algae as a means to provide carbon sequestration if algae is converted to biochemicals.
Sustainable Biofuels for Airlines, Avoided Deforestation Carbon Trading & Impacts on Land Use
The airline industry is under pressure to come up with sustainable carbon and fuel strategies as it prepares for mandatory requirements to use a 5% blend of biofuels in jet engines and enter into the EU ETS (European Trading Scheme) for carbon in Europe starting in 2012. EU ETS carbon credit costs could be high and airlines a major buyer of credits if they are required to operate under EU ETS tight trading rules. Jets also consume large amounts of fuel among a limited number of companies so they are susceptible to volatility in fuel markets and fuel is a major operating cost. Fuel quality must be much higher than other sectors and regulatory pathways to fuel approval are high. Furthermore, they are influenced by consumer pressure, since airline travel is often an option and passengers sometimes feel guilty about environmental impacts of travel. On the bright side, they also are very motivated to consider alternatives, can purchase large quantities of biofuel on a future offtake contract basis and have capital and corporate interest in solutions to fuel and carbon credit problems they face in the future. The airline industry has formed a biofuel users group and various airline industry associations are working on biofuels use, including five demonstration flights with biofuels that have occurred in 2008 and 2009. The workshop will introduce the airline industry to the Amazon and Northeast region and discuss the unique potential it has to provide both feedstock and processing capacity for producing renewable jet fuel and solutions to carbon cost issues. This can include all of the feedstock and conversion options including oil, tallow, bagasse, biomass or other options. Also discussed will be the feasibility of establishing an Amazon wide avoided deforestation program and how that could influence carbon strategies of airlines as they consider a global carbon scheme. Of particular interest will be to explore how the combination of biofuels and carbon trading for avoided deforestation could limit uncertainty about carbon benefits of biofuel production by eliminating any threat of indirect land use change. Timing the workshop prior to the Policy Roundtable will allow for a targeted discussion of the feasibility of various options in looking at how to frame policies in Europe, USA and other areas and in looking at global carbon and biofuel strategies.
Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
An important economic development outcome of preserving a large area of forest such as the Amazon to obtain carbon credits is the potential it offers to promote ecotourism to the region to offset any impacts from reduced logging, ranching or other activities. This can be of particular interest to airlines because of the opportunities to promote trips to the region to visit areas being saved as a result of airline or customer investments in carbon credits. The workshop will explore the feasibility of this economic development strategy and define issues in looking at airline operations, promotion, marketing and environmental strategies. The feasibility of incorporating local companies and indigenous groups in any ecotourism development will also be explored. Additional benefits of artisan craft sales will also be examined. Sensitivity to preservation of the cultural and natural environment and avoiding development and environmental problems will also be discussed, particularly in looking at endangered species, animal and bird trade and other factors.
Sustainable Low Co2 Fuels/Co2 Trading to Lower Shipping Emissions (Ports, Ships, Trucks Trains)
The maritime industry is exempted from any of the Kyoto requirements for carbon reductions that are now facing most industries that are major emitters. Yet maritime shipping is responsible for 4% of global carbon emissions and a large share of total air pollution. The International Maritime, EU regulators, Port and Harbors and others are evaluating global and regional carbon regulation, carbon reduction options and other issues as they deal with twin issues of the increasing role of the shipping industry in overall air pollution and climate change problems at a local, national and international level. The shipping industry could also be a major buyer of carbon credits if it falls under some kind of cap and trade requirements globally. Furthermore, there may be incentives tied to the promotion of low carbon shipping that could influence interest of shipping companies in use of biofuels, purchase of carbon credits or other strategies. The workshop will explore shipping industry interest in biofuels or efficiency including representatives of trucking, rail, barge, tug and maritime ships (freight and cruise). These responses will be considered in looking at a role shippers might play in carbon credit schemes for avoided deforestation, biofuels utilization & use of fuel and lubricant additives to improve burning efficiency and emissions.
Carbon Credits for Avoided Deforestation or Tree Planting in the Amazon Region
A technical workshop evaluating the feasibility of earning carbon credits in international markets will be evaluated in looking at developing a carbon trade that works within the rule framework of various markets for carbon credits and in considering an Amazon wide avoided deforestation plan. A plan already discussed by the Governors of the 9 Amazon states in a pre-meeting will be discussed at this workshop to examine technical issues, management and credit market approval of the plan. Participation in the workshop by those developing cap and trade programs and regulation of carbon in new markets such as airline, maritime, USA and California would be invited to identify the requirements necessary to gain participation by their industries, states or countries. Oil seed tree planting or other tree planting options would also be considered in looking at technical issues and practicality of earning carbon credits given soil, vegetation and other issues. Another important focus will be to determine how the implementation of this program could address concerns about indirect land use change impacts of biofuels development on land on the edge of the Amazon. Technical and policy issues with this strategy will be discussed in understanding the impact of regulation dealing with direct/indirect land use change and how a carbon trading program in conjunction with biofuels could offer an integrated strategy for addressing agricultural pressures on development of new forest lands.
Avoided Deforestation Co2 program and Biofuels for China in Developing its Carbon Emission Plan
China is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and its growth of emissions is faster than any other country. This means it is unlikely that the USA will join Kyoto targets for CO2 unless there is an equivalent plan for carbon reductions from China. Avoided deforestation and biofuel both offer an interesting option to China by providing a low cost source of credits for meeting targets and by providing a source of fuel for their rapidly growing economy. Various Chinese companies that do business in Brazil will be invited to discuss possible trade opportunities in low carbon fuels, biofuels and other investment areas. Investment managers for Chinese capital funds and government investment funds will also be invited to help understand how this opportunity compares to other efficiency, biofuel and carbon options.
Biofuels Investor Workshop:
Equity and debt investors look at various aspects of biofuel opportunities in considering issues related to risk, economic returns, project objectives, market factors and offtake agreements. North and Northeast Brazil offer attractive elements for biofuel feedstock development including low land cost, high productivity, low labor cost and a supportive government environment. There is also a national market that is well defined for biofuels from government requirements for biodiesel and ethanol. At the same time, there are a host of logistic, sustainability and export market barriers that affect investor interest. These factors will all be evaluated in a workshop where various specific projects will be discussed concerning investments in biofuels in the region. The workshop will help define interests and concerns of investors and lead to specific financing of various feedstock and biofuel conversion projects to produce alcohol, bio-gasoline, bio-jet fuel and biodiesel. The focus of the workshop will be to bring together project developers and finance sources and define what the requirements are for financing projects, how to overcome development and finance risks and barriers, land use ownership, tax issues and incentives and other practical issues in developing projects or financing them. Also discussed will be how other elements in the biofuels conference could reduce market risk in developing biofuels projects by improving sustainability and improving global market access.
Urban Bio-Alliance Meetings : 2009 and 2010
The Urban Bio-Alliance has been set up in 2008 specifically to assist in the formation of alliances between states and cities in Brazil and other states and cities internationally. The primary focus of alliances is to improve sustainability of cities and states while also enhancing the quality of life through various exchanges between cities & states in different countries. This includes the exchange of ideas, strategy, technology and products that can enhance sustainability. A key focus of the first two conferences of the organization will be to invite cities and states to the meeting that would be interested in how products and approaches to biofuels and carbon trading could help cities globally in improving transportation & industry efficiency, carbon emissions and overall sustainability. Urban BioAlliance will also help build public interest in the sustainability initiative through international football matches, donations of equipment to Brazil, creation of parks, TV shows, articles and other outreach. The first workshop in conjunction with the biofuels conference in Tocantins will be to help build initial alliances between cities and states from Europe, USA, Japan, China, India and Brazil. This will be followed up in 2010 with exchanges, donations, cooperative agreements, carbon trades, park formation, tree planting & increased trade.
Policy Roundtable on Avoided Deforestation & Sustainable Development
The organization of the week of Conference events is meant to provide the technical input to support a policy discussion about a specific proposal; 1) develop a major carbon credit program in the Amazon connected with avoided deforestation, 2) plant biofuel crops in agricultural areas outside the Amazon to provide economic alternatives to logging, ranch development and charcoal production, 3) obtain access to international biofuel markets as a result of sustainability commitments. The objective is to introduce a specific carbon trading program that has already been evaluated and approved by the 9 states in the Amazon. This would involve a carbon trading program based on sale of carbon credits to states, industries and countries that are major emitters and have not yet been regulated or required to reduce emissions under the UNFCC Kyoto Protocols (airline, maritime, USA, China) but face regulation in the near future. The specific proposal would include mechanisms to insure the avoided deforestation is real, permanent, surplus, enforceable and quantifiable. As a part of the roundtable discussions about steps that could be taken to improve sustainability of biofuels and simultaneously consider how a rapidly growing biofuel industry could offset loss of jobs and economic potential from stopping deforestation in the Amazon. This would then coincide with invitation and discussion with European, US, Japanese and other markets how they can open up markets to Brazilian biofuels if steps are taken to improve sustainability and stop deforestation of the Amazon. The objective is to establish a framework for advancing a set of specific carbon trading, biofuel and other steps in 2009 in Tocantins and then work out details of a specific set of carbon trading and biofuel export programs that are announced following up on the Roundtable meeting in Sao Luis in 2010. This would include discussing setting up an Amazon Permanent Fund and using the capability to withhold fund dividend distribution to states and individuals if deforestation does not stop as a key enforcement mechanism to insure carbon savings are real and permanent.
(+ policy roundtable to discuss integrated strategy of avoided deforestation carbon credits & biofuels)
Oct. 13-18, '09 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil
3- 14-19, 2010 International Biofuels Conference, Sustainability Workshops, Policy Roundtable
Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil
WORKSHOPS:
Oil Seed Tree Planting and Food Co-Production, Minimizing Nitrogen GHG Impacts:
The objective of the Oil Seed Tree Planting workshops in 2009 & 2010 is to explore specific agricultural and production issues with a set of oil seed tree options in looking at the planting cost and feasibility, total production yield and value, oil output comparisons, by-product value as meal, fertilizer, food additive or other uses and other economic evaluations. Three or four oil seed trees will be chosen including jotropha, macauba, moringa olifeira and palm. The feasibility of large scale planting will be explored in looking at issues of layout of tree planting and drainage, automation of planting, availability of seedlings and farm preparation and planting considerations. New seed and species developments in all oil seed trees will be explored, particularly any companies with yields well above yields typically discussed in scientific literature. Specific regions where it may be possible to plant various oil seeds will be considered in looking at rain levels, rain timing, dry periods and need for irrigation. Comparisons of input requirement of oil seed trees in terms of fertilizer, insecticide, fungicide or other management costs will also be compared, especially in looking at how new technologies could reduce input costs. Key in the evaluation and comparison of oil seed trees is the feasibility of co-planting food between trees or using land for grazing of animals. The feasibility of these strategies in looking a tree fruit harvest and timing, access to land with equipment, seasonality of rain, value of food or animals and other issues will also be considered. Also important will be to look at harvest costs and requirements, labor cost and availability, logistics issues with movement of fruits to processing and reutilization of byproducts. Processing costs and logistics for processing of oil seeds and or fruits will also be considered. Finally the value of the various oils in biofuel and edible oil markets will be compared in looking at both current and future markets. The workshop will also consider the volume of food production possible in intercropping strategies with tree production and compare it to food production with a rotation cropping approach where high oil content seeds are rotated with nitrogen fixing crops like faba beans or black beans to minimize or eliminate nitrogen fertilizer application. The oil seed tree strategy will also be compared with rotation planting of crops. Impacts irrigation might have on water reservoir depletion in desert areas will be explored. Strategies to use aquaculture to further food/fertilizer production in combination with irrigation will be examined.
Sugar Cane to Produce Alcohol/2nd Gen. Biofuels, Role of Bio-refineries & Algae Sequestration
These varied themes will be weaved together in a workshop that discusses both the current investment opportunities in production of sugar cane and alcohol in Northeast Brazil and how this production sector could greatly expand with the introduction of 2nd generation technologies to process bagasse into fuel. The workshop will include participation by the leading sugar cane growers and alcohol producers in Brazil, which leads the world in production of alcohol. The successful expansion of the sugar cane industry into the Northeast and the impact on jobs, land use and fuel supply will be discussed. Also invited will be various technology providers that can convert bagasse to liquid chemicals or fuels that will discuss the status of the technology, capital and production costs, incentive requirements and other considerations. The ability to use bagasse for fuel production offers an opportunity o triple fuel production from the same amount of sugar cane, thereby greatly improving biofuel sustainability of first and second generation fuels and achieving CO2 reductions of up to 200%. An important part of this plan also involves investments in bio-refinery capacity in Brazil in conjunction with investments now being made in petroleum refineries. Finally, there is the opportunity to improve petroleum fuel carbon efficiency through carbon sequestration with algae. The workshop will explore the feasibility of algae production in Brazil and role of algae as a means to provide carbon sequestration if algae is converted to biochemicals.
Sustainable Biofuels for Airlines, Avoided Deforestation Carbon Trading & Impacts on Land Use
The airline industry is under pressure to come up with sustainable carbon and fuel strategies as it prepares for mandatory requirements to use a 5% blend of biofuels in jet engines and enter into the EU ETS (European Trading Scheme) for carbon in Europe starting in 2012. EU ETS carbon credit costs could be high and airlines a major buyer of credits if they are required to operate under EU ETS tight trading rules. Jets also consume large amounts of fuel among a limited number of companies so they are susceptible to volatility in fuel markets and fuel is a major operating cost. Fuel quality must be much higher than other sectors and regulatory pathways to fuel approval are high. Furthermore, they are influenced by consumer pressure, since airline travel is often an option and passengers sometimes feel guilty about environmental impacts of travel. On the bright side, they also are very motivated to consider alternatives, can purchase large quantities of biofuel on a future offtake contract basis and have capital and corporate interest in solutions to fuel and carbon credit problems they face in the future. The airline industry has formed a biofuel users group and various airline industry associations are working on biofuels use, including five demonstration flights with biofuels that have occurred in 2008 and 2009. The workshop will introduce the airline industry to the Amazon and Northeast region and discuss the unique potential it has to provide both feedstock and processing capacity for producing renewable jet fuel and solutions to carbon cost issues. This can include all of the feedstock and conversion options including oil, tallow, bagasse, biomass or other options. Also discussed will be the feasibility of establishing an Amazon wide avoided deforestation program and how that could influence carbon strategies of airlines as they consider a global carbon scheme. Of particular interest will be to explore how the combination of biofuels and carbon trading for avoided deforestation could limit uncertainty about carbon benefits of biofuel production by eliminating any threat of indirect land use change. Timing the workshop prior to the Policy Roundtable will allow for a targeted discussion of the feasibility of various options in looking at how to frame policies in Europe, USA and other areas and in looking at global carbon and biofuel strategies.
Airlines, Avoided Deforestation, Forest Reserves and Eco-Tourism
An important economic development outcome of preserving a large area of forest such as the Amazon to obtain carbon credits is the potential it offers to promote ecotourism to the region to offset any impacts from reduced logging, ranching or other activities. This can be of particular interest to airlines because of the opportunities to promote trips to the region to visit areas being saved as a result of airline or customer investments in carbon credits. The workshop will explore the feasibility of this economic development strategy and define issues in looking at airline operations, promotion, marketing and environmental strategies. The feasibility of incorporating local companies and indigenous groups in any ecotourism development will also be explored. Additional benefits of artisan craft sales will also be examined. Sensitivity to preservation of the cultural and natural environment and avoiding development and environmental problems will also be discussed, particularly in looking at endangered species, animal and bird trade and other factors.
Sustainable Low Co2 Fuels/Co2 Trading to Lower Shipping Emissions (Ports, Ships, Trucks Trains)
The maritime industry is exempted from any of the Kyoto requirements for carbon reductions that are now facing most industries that are major emitters. Yet maritime shipping is responsible for 4% of global carbon emissions and a large share of total air pollution. The International Maritime, EU regulators, Port and Harbors and others are evaluating global and regional carbon regulation, carbon reduction options and other issues as they deal with twin issues of the increasing role of the shipping industry in overall air pollution and climate change problems at a local, national and international level. The shipping industry could also be a major buyer of carbon credits if it falls under some kind of cap and trade requirements globally. Furthermore, there may be incentives tied to the promotion of low carbon shipping that could influence interest of shipping companies in use of biofuels, purchase of carbon credits or other strategies. The workshop will explore shipping industry interest in biofuels or efficiency including representatives of trucking, rail, barge, tug and maritime ships (freight and cruise). These responses will be considered in looking at a role shippers might play in carbon credit schemes for avoided deforestation, biofuels utilization & use of fuel and lubricant additives to improve burning efficiency and emissions.
Carbon Credits for Avoided Deforestation or Tree Planting in the Amazon Region
A technical workshop evaluating the feasibility of earning carbon credits in international markets will be evaluated in looking at developing a carbon trade that works within the rule framework of various markets for carbon credits and in considering an Amazon wide avoided deforestation plan. A plan already discussed by the Governors of the 9 Amazon states in a pre-meeting will be discussed at this workshop to examine technical issues, management and credit market approval of the plan. Participation in the workshop by those developing cap and trade programs and regulation of carbon in new markets such as airline, maritime, USA and California would be invited to identify the requirements necessary to gain participation by their industries, states or countries. Oil seed tree planting or other tree planting options would also be considered in looking at technical issues and practicality of earning carbon credits given soil, vegetation and other issues. Another important focus will be to determine how the implementation of this program could address concerns about indirect land use change impacts of biofuels development on land on the edge of the Amazon. Technical and policy issues with this strategy will be discussed in understanding the impact of regulation dealing with direct/indirect land use change and how a carbon trading program in conjunction with biofuels could offer an integrated strategy for addressing agricultural pressures on development of new forest lands.
Avoided Deforestation Co2 program and Biofuels for China in Developing its Carbon Emission Plan
China is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and its growth of emissions is faster than any other country. This means it is unlikely that the USA will join Kyoto targets for CO2 unless there is an equivalent plan for carbon reductions from China. Avoided deforestation and biofuel both offer an interesting option to China by providing a low cost source of credits for meeting targets and by providing a source of fuel for their rapidly growing economy. Various Chinese companies that do business in Brazil will be invited to discuss possible trade opportunities in low carbon fuels, biofuels and other investment areas. Investment managers for Chinese capital funds and government investment funds will also be invited to help understand how this opportunity compares to other efficiency, biofuel and carbon options.
Biofuels Investor Workshop:
Equity and debt investors look at various aspects of biofuel opportunities in considering issues related to risk, economic returns, project objectives, market factors and offtake agreements. North and Northeast Brazil offer attractive elements for biofuel feedstock development including low land cost, high productivity, low labor cost and a supportive government environment. There is also a national market that is well defined for biofuels from government requirements for biodiesel and ethanol. At the same time, there are a host of logistic, sustainability and export market barriers that affect investor interest. These factors will all be evaluated in a workshop where various specific projects will be discussed concerning investments in biofuels in the region. The workshop will help define interests and concerns of investors and lead to specific financing of various feedstock and biofuel conversion projects to produce alcohol, bio-gasoline, bio-jet fuel and biodiesel. The focus of the workshop will be to bring together project developers and finance sources and define what the requirements are for financing projects, how to overcome development and finance risks and barriers, land use ownership, tax issues and incentives and other practical issues in developing projects or financing them. Also discussed will be how other elements in the biofuels conference could reduce market risk in developing biofuels projects by improving sustainability and improving global market access.
Urban Bio-Alliance Meetings : 2009 and 2010
The Urban Bio-Alliance has been set up in 2008 specifically to assist in the formation of alliances between states and cities in Brazil and other states and cities internationally. The primary focus of alliances is to improve sustainability of cities and states while also enhancing the quality of life through various exchanges between cities & states in different countries. This includes the exchange of ideas, strategy, technology and products that can enhance sustainability. A key focus of the first two conferences of the organization will be to invite cities and states to the meeting that would be interested in how products and approaches to biofuels and carbon trading could help cities globally in improving transportation & industry efficiency, carbon emissions and overall sustainability. Urban BioAlliance will also help build public interest in the sustainability initiative through international football matches, donations of equipment to Brazil, creation of parks, TV shows, articles and other outreach. The first workshop in conjunction with the biofuels conference in Tocantins will be to help build initial alliances between cities and states from Europe, USA, Japan, China, India and Brazil. This will be followed up in 2010 with exchanges, donations, cooperative agreements, carbon trades, park formation, tree planting & increased trade.
Policy Roundtable on Avoided Deforestation & Sustainable Development
The organization of the week of Conference events is meant to provide the technical input to support a policy discussion about a specific proposal; 1) develop a major carbon credit program in the Amazon connected with avoided deforestation, 2) plant biofuel crops in agricultural areas outside the Amazon to provide economic alternatives to logging, ranch development and charcoal production, 3) obtain access to international biofuel markets as a result of sustainability commitments. The objective is to introduce a specific carbon trading program that has already been evaluated and approved by the 9 states in the Amazon. This would involve a carbon trading program based on sale of carbon credits to states, industries and countries that are major emitters and have not yet been regulated or required to reduce emissions under the UNFCC Kyoto Protocols (airline, maritime, USA, China) but face regulation in the near future. The specific proposal would include mechanisms to insure the avoided deforestation is real, permanent, surplus, enforceable and quantifiable. As a part of the roundtable discussions about steps that could be taken to improve sustainability of biofuels and simultaneously consider how a rapidly growing biofuel industry could offset loss of jobs and economic potential from stopping deforestation in the Amazon. This would then coincide with invitation and discussion with European, US, Japanese and other markets how they can open up markets to Brazilian biofuels if steps are taken to improve sustainability and stop deforestation of the Amazon. The objective is to establish a framework for advancing a set of specific carbon trading, biofuel and other steps in 2009 in Tocantins and then work out details of a specific set of carbon trading and biofuel export programs that are announced following up on the Roundtable meeting in Sao Luis in 2010. This would include discussing setting up an Amazon Permanent Fund and using the capability to withhold fund dividend distribution to states and individuals if deforestation does not stop as a key enforcement mechanism to insure carbon savings are real and permanent.