Bioenergy and water - The implications of large-scale bioenergy production for water use and supply

Journal article, 2002

There are major expectations that bioenergy will supply large amounts of CO2 neutral energy for the future. A large-scale expansion of energy crop production would lead to a large increase in evapotranspiration appropriation for human uses, potentially as large as the present evapotranspiration from global cropland. In some countries this could lead to further enhancement of an already stressed water situation. But there are also countries where such impacts are less likely to occur. One major conclusion for future research is that assessments of bioenergy potentials need to consider restrictions from competing demand for water resources. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.