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It is often claimed that dedicated energy plantations may be established on degraded lands so as to prevent competition with food production. In this paper, the economics of eucalyptus plantations in the Northeast of Brazil on ‘‘good’’ versus ‘‘bad’’ lands is investigated. It is shown that the value of the higher yields that can be expected on ‘‘good’’ lands generally outweighs the additional cost associated with acquiring that land. For this reason, forestry companies would find it more profitable to opt for ‘‘good’’ lands rather than degraded lands when establishing plantations, although exceptions do exist. Thus, governmental policies are warranted if use of degraded lands for bioenergy plantations is desired.
Brazil's development process could lead potentially to a doubling of C02 emissions per capita over the next four decades. This paper shows that the implementation of policy measures promoting energy efficiency and fuel switching could reduce Brazil's energy-related C02 per capita by 11% by 2025 with respect to their 1985 level without necessitating any significant change in lifestyles. While Brazil's total reduci!ions would be equivalent to only 1% of present gtobal carbon emissions, capturing these savings opportunities would both allow Brazil to participate in global efforts to curtail the generation of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and support Brazil's own economic development process.
It is often claimed that dedicated energy plantations may be established on degraded lands so as to prevent competition with food production. In this paper, the economics of eucalyptus plantations in the Northeast of Brazil on ‘‘good’’ versus ‘‘bad’’ lands is investigated. It is shown that the value of the higher yields that can be expected on ‘‘good’’ lands generally outweighs the additional cost associated with acquiring that land. For this reason, forestry companies would find it more profitable to opt for ‘‘good’’ lands rather than degraded lands when establishing plantations, although exceptions do exist. Thus, governmental policies are warranted if use of degraded lands for bioenergy plantations is desired.
At best, common renewable energy strategies can only offset fossil fuel emissions of CO2 – they cannot reverse climate change. One promising approach to lowering CO2 in the atmosphere while producing energy is biochar bio-energy, based on low-temperature pyrolysis. This technology relies on capturing the off-gases from thermal decomposition of wood or grasses to produce heat, electricity, or biofuels. Biochar is a major by-product of this pyrolysis, and has remarkable environmental properties. In soil, biochar was shown to persist longer and to retain cations better than other forms of soil organic matter. The precise halflife of biochar is still disputed, however, and this will have important implications for the...
Brazil's development process could lead potentially to a doubling of C02 emissions per capita over the next four decades. This paper shows that the implementation of policy measures promoting energy efficiency and fuel switching could reduce Brazil's energy-related C02 per capita by 11% by 2025 with respect to their 1985 level without necessitating any significant change in lifestyles. While Brazil's total reduci!ions would be equivalent to only 1% of present gtobal carbon emissions, capturing these savings opportunities would both allow Brazil to participate in global efforts to curtail the generation of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and support Brazil's own economic development process.
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