Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals

Biofuels are recognized as a renewable alternative to fossil sources of energy like petroleum or gas. Liquid biofuels, such as bioethanol and biodiesel are blended with petrol or diesel and used for road, aviation and marine transport; they are expected to account for 6% of total renewable transport...

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Main Authors: Singh, Vartika, Mishra, Abhijeet, Alam, Mohammad Faiz, Sulser, Timothy B., Ringler, Claudia
Format: Brief
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178762
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author Singh, Vartika
Mishra, Abhijeet
Alam, Mohammad Faiz
Sulser, Timothy B.
Ringler, Claudia
author_browse Alam, Mohammad Faiz
Mishra, Abhijeet
Ringler, Claudia
Singh, Vartika
Sulser, Timothy B.
author_facet Singh, Vartika
Mishra, Abhijeet
Alam, Mohammad Faiz
Sulser, Timothy B.
Ringler, Claudia
author_sort Singh, Vartika
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Biofuels are recognized as a renewable alternative to fossil sources of energy like petroleum or gas. Liquid biofuels, such as bioethanol and biodiesel are blended with petrol or diesel and used for road, aviation and marine transport; they are expected to account for 6% of total renewable transportation fuel use by 2030. Biofuels can not only support a country’s mitigation goals; but also reduce the need for foreign exchange and support agricultural growth. In India, 22% of total energy supply is provided by renewables, most of it from biomass for heating; while biofuels account for less than 1% of transportation energy. Over 90% of bioethanol and biodiesel are produced from food crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybeans, and vegetable oils, with sugarcane serving as the primary feedstock. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) to the UNFCCC in 2022, emphasizing the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector. Achieving this goal is supported, among others, by India’s biofuel policy of 2018 (modified from the original policy of 2009), which aims to achieve blending targets of 20% for ethanol and 5% for biodiesel by 2025.
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spelling CGSpace1787622025-12-12T02:09:28Z Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals Singh, Vartika Mishra, Abhijeet Alam, Mohammad Faiz Sulser, Timothy B. Ringler, Claudia biofuels climate change mitigation climate change water security natural resources Biofuels are recognized as a renewable alternative to fossil sources of energy like petroleum or gas. Liquid biofuels, such as bioethanol and biodiesel are blended with petrol or diesel and used for road, aviation and marine transport; they are expected to account for 6% of total renewable transportation fuel use by 2030. Biofuels can not only support a country’s mitigation goals; but also reduce the need for foreign exchange and support agricultural growth. In India, 22% of total energy supply is provided by renewables, most of it from biomass for heating; while biofuels account for less than 1% of transportation energy. Over 90% of bioethanol and biodiesel are produced from food crops such as maize, sugarcane, soybeans, and vegetable oils, with sugarcane serving as the primary feedstock. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) to the UNFCCC in 2022, emphasizing the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector. Achieving this goal is supported, among others, by India’s biofuel policy of 2018 (modified from the original policy of 2009), which aims to achieve blending targets of 20% for ethanol and 5% for biodiesel by 2025. 2025-12-11 2025-12-11T21:03:03Z 2025-12-11T21:03:03Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178762 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Singh, Vartika; Mishra, Abhijeet; Alam, Mohammad Faiz; Sulser, Timothy B.; and Ringler, Claudia. 2025. Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178762
spellingShingle biofuels
climate change mitigation
climate change
water security
natural resources
Singh, Vartika
Mishra, Abhijeet
Alam, Mohammad Faiz
Sulser, Timothy B.
Ringler, Claudia
Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
title Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
title_full Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
title_fullStr Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
title_full_unstemmed Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
title_short Biofuels in India: Trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
title_sort biofuels in india trading off climate mitigation with water security goals
topic biofuels
climate change mitigation
climate change
water security
natural resources
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178762
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AT sulsertimothyb biofuelsinindiatradingoffclimatemitigationwithwatersecuritygoals
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