"Energy & Food Security. Much Ado About Nothing?”

The conditions of sustainable production of biofuels and the mechanisms concerning food and energy security were vividly debated by top experts in the field. An audience of 120 people participated in the event hosted by Deutsche Welle.

Bonn. Four experts discussed hopes and problems arising with biofuel production: Stefan Gsaenger, Secretary General of the World Wind Energy Association, Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General of Welthungerhilfe, Prof. Gernot Klepper, Speaker of the Management Team of the Kiel Earth Institute, and Franz Marré, Head of Division "Water, Energy, Urban Development", Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany.

Download Audio of This Event: 6th Bonn Dialogues - Energy, and Food Security

All panellists agreed that it is necessary to differentiate between the various dimensions of the debate as biofuel production has social, economic and ecological consequences that vary geographically and that cannot be generalized. For example, Brazil is the only country where ethanol produced from sugar cane is competitive when compared to gasoline based on fossil fuels and one of the few countries where CO2 emissions can be reduced by using ethanol instead of petrol, taking into account the full production chain. In Ethiopia, where food security is a problem, the issue of burning food for fuel raises other social questions. Moderated by Thomas Bärthlein, Deputy Head of South Asia Service Deutsche Welle Radio, the experts shared their views on topics ranging from the food crisis to sustainable energy production.

Can biofuels be blamed to be responsible for last year’s food crisis?
“No”, said Gernot Klepper, from the Kiel Earth Institute. For Klepper, the biofuel sector is far too marginal, other factors were responsible for the rapid increase of the food prices. Wolfgang Jamann, from Welthungerhilfe, objected that the issue of competition concerning the use of arable land as a strategic resource is certainly arising and should not be neglected.

Can biofuels help to increase food security?
It was argued that the biofuels industry invests in the agricultural sector and can help to develop rural areas which will lead to an increase in rural income and, therefore, food security for the producers. On the other hand, large-scale biofuel production does not favour the poorest segments of the population, and harmful practices concerning the environment and social conditions are in contradiction to the empowerment of smallholder farmers.

Can we make sure that biofuels are produced in a sustainable way?
A pilot study of certification processes in different countries came to the conclusion, that only biofuel production on marginal or degraded land and using modern conversion technologies can have positive carbon balance. In addition, the study demonstrates that labour conditions and social aspects can be included into the certification process. However, the reliability of certification is often questionable as the example of illegal logging in Indonesia shows: according to Franz Marré, from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development ,it is very difficult if not impossible to differentiate between legal and illegal logging, since there are too many interrelations concerning the industrial but also the political level.

What about energy and food security?
Stefan Gsaenger, from the World Wind Energy Association, noted that we do not use energy in a sustainable way, and it is not sustainable how we produce food either. However, the panellists emphasized that both food security and energy security are important issues, which are linked in a complex manner but that are not the opposite of each other, meaning that both can be achieved. The connections of energy and food security are not straightforward or obvious, but need to be carefully investigated and discussed in order to develop solutions for a sustainable development.  

 To view all photos of the 6th Bonn Dialogues, please visit the UNU Bonn Flickr Account.