Bioenergy and Land Use Issues in Asia N. H. Ravindranath Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

Key Messages 1. Multiple options for land use – in the context of mitigating climate change & development  Biomass power, biofuels (liquid fuel), Afforestation for C-sink, timber production for substituting aluminum, steel, etc 2. Currently Asia is not a dominant biofuel producer / consumer of biofuels (like Brazil, US, EU) 3. However, dominant energy consumers have set targets for biofuels to substitute petroleum - thus Asia will be the key regions for biofules  China (15% ), India (10%- 2020), Japan (30% by 2030), Malaysia/Indonesia/Thailand (10% -2020) 4.Biofuel program in India, China, Thailand etc are driven by need for Energy Security  Thus need to ensure minimal GHG emissions

Key messages 4. Area under food production has stabilized in all the key Asian countries- unlikely to increase  India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, etc  Food grain needs will be met by increasing crop productivity and intensity  Large extents of degraded non-crop and marginal crop lands are available for  bioenergy/ biofuel crops / Carbon sink 5. Biodiesel crops such as Jatropha, oil Palm and tree based crops are key biofuel crops are critical in Asian countries  India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia

Key messages 7. Land use for biofuel crops varies with countries  Degraded and marginal lands for Jatropha; India, China  Forest lands converted for oil Palm; Malaysia, Indonesia 8. GHG implications vary with land conversions involved and countries  India & China; degraded lands and with minimal energy input  Indonesia & Malaysia - forest lands with high carbon stocks 9. India & China have large biomass power programs for meeting decentralized power needs  Largely using degraded lands for producing woody biomass with minimal energy input for production of feedstock  Likely to provided large GHG benefits by substituting fossil fuel power & generate power for local applications  India has a large number of CDM projects on biomass power

Land use options for climate mitigation Biomass power- Large potential (e.g., 30 GW in India) - Woody biomass based - Dedicated energy plantations in degraded lands + crop / forest residue - Large program for decentralized biopower - No serious implications for food security or GHG, since vast degraded land available in most countries Carbon Seq through Afforestation & Reforestation in Degraded lands - large potential - large afforestation programs; - India=1.5Mha, China=4-5 Mha -No serious implications for food security since vast degraded land available in most countries -Large carbon sink creation + non-wood products

Land use options for climate mitigation Bio- Ethanol -Sugarcane – program being initiated – sugar is the main product – biofuel byproduct - Sweet Sorghum, Maize, Cassava, etc. – - Marginal scale program Biodiesel- Palm oil – Large program in South east Asian countries - Jatropha – Large program in India, China, etc - Tree species yielding oil seeds such as Pongamia, Shorea, Madhuka, etc in India - No edible oil-based Biodiesel program

Malaysia  Palm oil plantations  <1 Mha in the 1970s  4 million hectares in  Producing 15 Mt of crude palm oil  Target to expand to 5 Mha by 2010  to produce 20 Mt

Estimated current area (ha) Planned area (ha) Guizhou1,30026,667 Sichuan20,000333,333 Yunnan50,000666,667 Total southwest China 71, million  Jatropha; Southwest China is the official targeted area for Jatropha  Estimated area; Current and projected in southwest China – barren lands  Ethanol  2008 = 1.5 Mha  2012 = 2.4 Mha Source: World Agroforestry Centre, 2007

Indonesia; scale of biofuel program  Biodiesel  = 212,000 ha  2008 = 663,000 ha  2017 = 2.67 Mha Bio-ethanol 2008 = 50,000 ha 2017 = 54,000 ha

India – scale of biofuel program  Biodiesel  2008 = 279,000 ha  2017 = 340,000 ha  Bioethanol  2008 = 451,000 ha  2017 = 854,000 ha

Trends in Land use Pattern-India Source:

Land use pattern projections

Forest Survey of India., State of Forest Report Source: Forest Survey of India., State of Forest Report

Overall Area Required for Biodiesel & Ethanol for 2012 Target BiodieselEthanol Demand Mt Jatropha Mha Palm Mha Demand Mt MaizeS-cane 5% % % Degraded + Marginal crop land = 40 to 55 Mha

Biofuel Production Share of Petroleum and Diesel

 Biofuel will be very important in Asia from energy security perspective  Need for research and informed debate on implications of large-scale biofuel production / consumption / export  GHG emissions  Food security and energy security  Socio-economic aspects  Alternate land uses in the context of climate mitigation & development is required;  Biomass power  Carbon sink through afforestation  Biofules – liquid fuels  Solid fuels; charcoal and fuelwood  Need for good database for scientifically analysis