Sustainability indicators - A review of the literature

Paper in proceeding, 2011

Biomass for energy is an issue that crosses many sectors including climate, energy, land-use, and development policies. A discussion on sustainability indicators covers variables that define the extent to which land- and biomass-based energy can contribute to climate change mitigation; complexities associated with biomass resources; impact indicators of bioenergy performance; policy approaches seeking to facilitate choices of technologies, products, and locations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; environmental impacts of bioenergy systems; the displacement factor; roundtable groups seeking to establish accreditation systems based on indicator systems; Fischer-Tropsch diesel production; and contextual issues and conditions that characterize large-scale biomass energy as an essential part of informed decision making. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 2011 AIChE Spring Meeting & 7th Global Congress on Process Safety (Chicago, IL 3/13-17/2011).