Biomass fuels and forest-management strategies: How do we calculate the greenhouse-gas emissions benefits?

Gregg Marland and Bernhard Schlamadinger

Energy, 1995, vol. 20, issue 11, 1131-1140

Abstract: We show in this study that a full fuel-cycle analysis of the greenhouse gas (CO2) implications of biomass energy systems has not only to take into account the inputs and outputs of energy (and associated carbon content) but must recognize that many biomas systems have by-products that are produced along with the biofuel. The analysis must also account for the temporal variability of carbon stocks and fluxes associated with the standing biomass and its harvest. Where land resources are limited, we need to consider the opportunity cost of managing the land to produce biomass fuels. Establishing a system of parties, each accountable for its own greenhouse-gas emissions, would require detailed deliberations on how to treat carbon flows in biofuels and wood products exchanged between the parties. An accounting for credits and debits has to be found that encourages each party to act in a way that is optimal for the carbon budget of the whole system.

Date: 1995
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/036054429500061K
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:20:y:1995:i:11:p:1131-1140

DOI: 10.1016/0360-5442(95)00061-K

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().