Biofuels production, trade and sustainable development

This book presents case studies from Pakistan, Costa Rica, South Africa and Ecuador that give a low- and middle-income country perspective on the potential for biofuel development. The focus is on the transport sector as this is the main use of liquid biofuels but co-benefit possibilities for use in domestic lighting, cooking and heating are noted. Each case study, prepared by experts from each of the four countries, examines the potential for developing the biofuel sector in the national context, explores the trade-offs for economic development and the sustainable development implications. These countries were chosen because they all are significant producers of one or more Chapter 1 l Biofuels production, trade and sustainable development 2 of the main feedstock crops for bioethanol or biodiesel, and because they are small or medium size. Their current level of biofuel development is small or incipient and their governments are currently faced with the task of developing an appropriate enabling policy framework. By focusing on particular feedstocks in particular contexts, the case studies demonstrate the complexities in predicting the range of impacts and designing policies to guide and promote biofuel development.