Bioenergy development : issues and impacts for poverty and natural resource management / Elizabeth Cushion, Adrian Whiteman, and Gerhard Dieterle.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Overview. Main types of bioenergy ; This report ; Total bioenergy supply and contribution to TPES ; Outlook for bioenergy consumption ; Forces affecting bioenergy development ; Concerns about bioenergy development ; Policies, targets, and instruments -- Solid biomass. Long-term trend and outlook for primary solid biomass ; Bioenergy production from solid biomass ; Traditional uses of solid biomass for energy ; Modern and industrial uses of solid biomamss for energy ; Energy systems based on biomass pellets ; Notes -- Liquid biofuels. Bioethanol for fuel ; Biodiesel for fuel ; Economic viability of liquid biofuel production ; Social and environmental impacts -- Impacts and issues at the country and regional levels. Africa ; East Asia and Pacific ; Europe and Central Asia ; Latin America and the Caribbean ; Middle East and North Africa ; South Asia ; Notes.

"Bioenergy has been critical to humanity since the cave dwellers first used wood to cook their food and stay warm at night. Ancient forms of bioenergy - firewood and cow dung patties - remain primary fuel sources for rural and poor people. New sources of bioenergy including 'black liquor', biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol and many more, have great promise and generate great controversy. This book gives an overview of bioenergy developments and examines the main issues and possible socioeconomic implications of these developments and their potential impacts on land use and the environment, especially with respect to forests. The paper presents an introduction to bioenergy, provides a background and overview of solid biomass and liquid biofuels, and examines opportunities and challenges at the regional and country level. It also examines potential impacts for specific types of bioenergy." -- Book cover.