Person:

Lee, Henry

The goals and concerns surrounding the debate over government policies related to the greater use and production of biofuels were addressed in an executive session convened by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Venice International University on May 19th and 20th, 2008. The session attracted more than 25 of the world's leading experts from the fields of policy, science, and business to San Servolo Island for an intensive two day session (see Appendix A for a list of the participants). The discussions were off-the-record, with each participant present in his or her own capacity, rather than representing an organization. The session was one in a series on Grand Challenges of the Sustainability Transition organized by the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University with the generous support of the Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea. This particular session was held as part of the Ministry’s ongoing work with the Global Bioenergy Program established at the G8 Gleneagles Summit in 2005.

This summary report of the session is our synthesis of the main points and arguments that emerged from the discussions. It does not represent a consensus document, since no effort was made at the Session to arrive at a single consensus view. Rather, we report here on what we heard to be the major themes discussed at the session. Any errors or misrepresentations remain solely our responsibility.

Summary report from a joint ENRP/Sustainablity Science Program workshop convening experts from academia, international institutions, government, and the private sector to explore possible implications of emerging global biofuels markets for economic development and international trade.

On May 11th and 12th, 2009, Harvard Kennedy School’s Environment and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) and the Sustainability Science Program (SSP) brought over 20 of the world’s leading experts from the fields of science, policy, and business to Cambridge, MA, to address the issues surrounding biofuel certification. This workshop on biofuels and certification was carried out as part of an ongoing collaboration between the ENRP and SSP to investigate policy options for the sustainable development of biofuels. The collaboration has focused on exploring whether, and if so, how, biofuels could be developed in ways that simultaneously help to meet the world’s energy needs, protect the environment, and advance the livelihoods of farmers and other land users around the world.

The workshop discussions were off-the-record, with each participant present in his or her own capacity, rather than representing an organization. This workshop was informed by the discussion at a session held in May 2008 at San Servolo Island, Venice, Italy that focused on the goals and concerns surrounding the use and production of biofuels. This summary report of the Workshop on Biofuel Certification represents a synthesis of the main points and arguments that emerged from the discussion. It does not represent a consensus document, since no effort was made at the Workshop to arrive at a single consensus view. Rather, the report reviews the major themes discussed and where there was significant disagreement, we have tried to present both sides of the argument.