Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1053774 Environmental Science & Policy 2011 9 Pages PDF
Abstract

Most bioenergy supply scenarios suggest that a substantial fraction of future European energy supply could be biomass-based. Yet stakeholder opinion on the risks posed by a high level of bioenergy supply varies and the related science base is relatively undeveloped. Thinking on post-normal science advocates that issues with contested sustainability and risk implications are best resolved or negotiated via inclusive stakeholder fora, in which a variety of values and ways of thinking are respected. As the potential impacts of a large scale supply of forestry biomass for bioenergy have generally received less attention than the potential impacts of first generation biofuels, we use woody biomass risks to illustrate a novel risk perception typology that is consistent with thinking on post normal science. The typology is intended to both strengthen the case for inclusive decision-making in general and to clarify the nature of the risks posed by global solid biomass supply for European bioenergy.

► The risks of large scale bioenergy and biofuels supply are uncertain and contested. ► This is illustrated with reference to the policy, trends and impacts of European use of solid biomass for bioenergy. ► Post-normal science theory suggests that issues with contested sustainability and risk implications are best resolved or negotiated via inclusive stakeholder fora. ► A novel approach to structuring levels of risk and uncertainty, which acknowledges the post-normal science case, clarifies the different types of risk posed by large scale bioenergy.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Energy Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
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