Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges

In this article, we attempt to find the spatial relations between deforestation and biofuel production at global level by analyzing available global deforestation and biofuels data, and find that, for a variety of reasons relating to data availability and its characteristics, and the way biofuels ar...

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Autores principales: Gao, Y., Skutsch, M., Drigo, R., Pacheco, P., Masera, O.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2011
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20639
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author Gao, Y.
Skutsch, M.
Drigo, R.
Pacheco, P.
Masera, O.
author_browse Drigo, R.
Gao, Y.
Masera, O.
Pacheco, P.
Skutsch, M.
author_facet Gao, Y.
Skutsch, M.
Drigo, R.
Pacheco, P.
Masera, O.
author_sort Gao, Y.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In this article, we attempt to find the spatial relations between deforestation and biofuel production at global level by analyzing available global deforestation and biofuels data, and find that, for a variety of reasons relating to data availability and its characteristics, and the way biofuels are produced, this task is extremely difficult if not virtually impossible. Then we bring down the scale of the analysis to the case study level and provide a detailed methodology for analyzing the spatial relation between deforestation and biofuel development. We argue that this multi-scale approach, based on systematic sampling at the case study level would help to better understand the relation between biofuels and deforestation. Given the fact that biofuels are a highly contested approach to reduction of global carbon emissions, and that different lobbies in this debate are making claims that deforestation is, or is not, occurring as a result of the expansion of biofuel production, clarity on the methodological difficulties of making statements of this kind, at least in a global spatial analysis, may help avoid false conclusions being promulgated in the future.
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spelling CGSpace206392024-08-27T10:34:50Z Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges Gao, Y. Skutsch, M. Drigo, R. Pacheco, P. Masera, O. biofuels feedstocks deforestation indirect land use change emission forestry In this article, we attempt to find the spatial relations between deforestation and biofuel production at global level by analyzing available global deforestation and biofuels data, and find that, for a variety of reasons relating to data availability and its characteristics, and the way biofuels are produced, this task is extremely difficult if not virtually impossible. Then we bring down the scale of the analysis to the case study level and provide a detailed methodology for analyzing the spatial relation between deforestation and biofuel development. We argue that this multi-scale approach, based on systematic sampling at the case study level would help to better understand the relation between biofuels and deforestation. Given the fact that biofuels are a highly contested approach to reduction of global carbon emissions, and that different lobbies in this debate are making claims that deforestation is, or is not, occurring as a result of the expansion of biofuel production, clarity on the methodological difficulties of making statements of this kind, at least in a global spatial analysis, may help avoid false conclusions being promulgated in the future. 2011-04 2012-06-04T09:15:02Z 2012-06-04T09:15:02Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20639 en Limited Access Elsevier Gao, Y., Skutsch, M., Drigo, R., Pacheco, P., Masera, O. 2011. Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges. Applied Geography 31 (2) :508-518. ISSN: 0143-6228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2010.10.007
spellingShingle biofuels
feedstocks
deforestation
indirect land use change
emission
forestry
Gao, Y.
Skutsch, M.
Drigo, R.
Pacheco, P.
Masera, O.
Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges
title Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges
title_full Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges
title_fullStr Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges
title_full_unstemmed Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges
title_short Assessing deforestation from biofuels: methodological challenges
title_sort assessing deforestation from biofuels methodological challenges
topic biofuels
feedstocks
deforestation
indirect land use change
emission
forestry
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20639
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