Sustainable Liquid Biofuels Development for Transport: Frequently Asked Questions and Review of Initiatives

Increased worldwide concern about the sustainability of large-scale production of liquid biofuels for transport has led certain governments and institutions to start developing sustainability standards in order to assess the environmental and social performances of this production. Several initiatives are being developed worldwide and some controversial issues and questions arise when trying to tackle sustainability assessment in this context. This document comes to enrich a sometimes harsh discussion. Biofuels, as an alternative to a full reliance on fossil fuel and a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, are increasingly attacked from a point of view of sustainability. The question is raised whether the cure could be worst than the disease.