Analysing land-use effects on the carbon balance of biofuels by coupling a spatial model to LCA

Abstract

Biofuels are considered as an important option for the mitigation of climate change. However, the negative impact of land-use change on soil and vegetation carbon pools may jeopardize the potentially achievable savings of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In order to access the impact of land-use change on the carbon balance of biofuels, we couple a spatial model, in combination with Geographic Information System (GIS) software, to a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biofuels. The results for our study area, the European Union (EU), show that land-use change has a major impact on the GHG performance of biofuels. Based on our findings we conclude that biofuel use is not an adequate measure for the mitigation of global warming.