Biofuels: From Hopes to Reality

Abstract

Recently, the United Nations System addressed to the world a report to create a green economy based in the following directions: the potential to achieve sustainable development and to eradicate poverty on an unprecedented scale, with speed and effectiveness. A green economy with low carbon potential to substitute fossil fuels, which addresses climate change, creates decent jobs, and reduces import dependencies. Much more than biofuels, green economies pay attention for market high values bioproducts. According to the United Nations Systems, this potential derives from two concurrent changes. First, there is a change indicating society risks and the necessity of rethinking the economy process considering the necessity of changing material availability; second, there is an increasing recognition that the natural environment forms the basis of our physical assets and must be managed as a source of growth, prosperity, and well-being [1]. Also this program addresses some questions related to important issues and directions concerning research like: How to manage a smooth and fair transition from a brown economy to a green one at global level? How to ensure that green policies are not used as an excuse for trade protectionism? How to measure progress in the transition to a green economy? As it can be seen, the United Nations Systems was precisely able to address specific directions related with a sustainable economy and the use of natural resource globally. Certainly the three global conferences on the environment and the UNEP's Green Economy Initiative, launched in late 2008 [2] were important steps to achieve such broad comprehension involving a large number of themes like: agriculture, renewable energy, cities, fisheries, water, forest, wastes, buildings, transports, tourism and manufacturing. Certainly, these conclusions came out from the long time of understanding related with the indiscriminate use of natural resources and from the importance they have to achieve a sustainable world, as well as, contribute to diminish the environmental problem created by the use of fossil fuels for transport and electricity generation. To exemplify the importance of this report, since the 18th century, wood was the main source of material and energy for mankind. At that time, wood was primarily used for heating, house, ships, bridge constructions and metal processing. These historical uses caused a large deforestation in many areas of Europe. Unfortunately, this kind of process still continues devastating the Amazon forest, as well as other bioresources in Africa and Asia [3], [4]. At the end of the www.intechopen.com Biofuel Production-Recent Developments and Prospects How to reference In order to correctly reference this scholarly work, feel free to copy and paste the following: