scholarly journals Certification and Regulation of Trade in Biofuels

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Vivien Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Trade Agreements ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Certification Scheme ◽  
Recent Increase ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Biofuel Policies

<p>The recent increase in biofuel production and trade has raised concerns about environmental and other impacts, and has prompted some governments to initiate measures to ensure biofuels are produced sustainably. Certification schemes are the most common measure used, and apply to both imported biofuels, and those produced in the country that has initiated the certification scheme. This dissertation argues that biofuels certification schemes, as currently drafted, are inconsistent with WTO trade agreements. Biofuel policies and certification schemes need to be better coordinated internationally to ensure that policy goals are met in a way that complies with trade agreements. The dissertation recommends that international standards need to be further developed to promote consistency between certification schemes and to support WTO consistency.</p>

scholarly journals Certification and Regulation of Trade in Biofuels

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Vivien Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Trade Agreements ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Certification Scheme ◽  
Recent Increase ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Biofuel Policies

<p>The recent increase in biofuel production and trade has raised concerns about environmental and other impacts, and has prompted some governments to initiate measures to ensure biofuels are produced sustainably. Certification schemes are the most common measure used, and apply to both imported biofuels, and those produced in the country that has initiated the certification scheme. This dissertation argues that biofuels certification schemes, as currently drafted, are inconsistent with WTO trade agreements. Biofuel policies and certification schemes need to be better coordinated internationally to ensure that policy goals are met in a way that complies with trade agreements. The dissertation recommends that international standards need to be further developed to promote consistency between certification schemes and to support WTO consistency.</p>

scholarly journals Biofuels and land-use changes: searching for the top model

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre M. Nassar ◽  
Leila Harfuch ◽  
Luciane C. Bachion ◽  
Marcelo R. Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Green House Gas ◽  
Biofuel Policies

The use of agricultural-based biofuels has expanded. Discussions on how to assess green house gas (GHG) emissions from biofuel policies, specifically on (non-observed) land-use change (LUC) effects involve two main topics: (i) the limitations on the existing methodologies, and (ii) how to isolate the effects of biofuels. This paper discusses the main methodologies currently used by policy-makers to take decisions on how to quantify LUCs owing to biofuel production expansion. It is our opinion that the concerns regarding GHG emissions associated with LUCs should focus on the agricultural sector as a whole rather than concentrating on biofuel production. Actually, there are several limitations of economic models and deterministic methodologies for simulating and explaining LUCs resulting from the expansion of the agricultural sector. However, it is equally true that there are avenues of possibilities to improve models and make them more accurate and precise in order to be used for policy-making. Models available need several improvements to reach perfection. Any top model requires a concentration of interdisciplinary designers in order to replicate empirical evidence and capture correctly the agricultural sector dynamics for different countries and regions. Forgetting those limitations means that models will be used for the wrong purposes.

scholarly journals The UK and Digital Trade: Which way forward?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Jones ◽  
Beatriz Kira ◽  
Anna Sands ◽  
Danilo B. Garrido Alves
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Data Flows ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk

The internet and digital technologies are upending global trade. Industries and supply chains are being transformed, and the movement of data across borders is now central to the operation of the global economy. Provisions in trade agreements address many aspects of the digital economy – from cross-border data flows, to the protection of citizens’ personal data, and the regulation of the internet and new technologies like artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making. The UK government has identified digital trade as a priority in its Global Britain strategy and one of the main sources of economic growth to recover from the pandemic. It wants the UK to play a leading role in setting the international standards and regulations that govern the global digital economy. The regulation of digital trade is a fast-evolving and contentious issue, and the US, European Union (EU), and China have adopted different approaches. Now that the UK has left the EU, it will need to navigate across multiple and often conflicting digital realms. The UK needs to decide which policy objectives it will prioritise, how to regulate the digital economy domestically, and how best to achieve its priorities when negotiating international trade agreements. There is an urgent need to develop a robust, evidence-based approach to the UK’s digital trade strategy that takes into account the perspectives of businesses, workers, and citizens, as well as the approaches of other countries in the global economy. This working paper aims to inform UK policy debates by assessing the state of play in digital trade globally. The authors present a detailed analysis of five policy areas that are central to discussions on digital trade for the UK: cross-border data flows and privacy; internet access and content regulation; intellectual property and innovation; e-commerce (including trade facilitation and consumer protection); and taxation (customs duties on e-commerce and digital services taxes). In each of these areas the authors compare and contrast the approaches taken by the US, EU and China, discuss the public policy implications, and examine the choices facing the UK.

An exposé of the realpolitik of trade negotiations: implications for population nutrition

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 3083-3091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Friel ◽  
Phillip Baker ◽  
Anne-Marie Thow ◽  
Deborah Gleeson ◽  
Belinda Townsend ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Key Informant ◽  
Political Dimensions

AbstractObjective:To explore the formal and informal ways in which different actors involved in shaping trade agreements pursue their interests and understand the interactions with nutrition, in order to improve coherence between trade and nutrition policy goals.Design:The paper draws on empirical evidence from Australian key informant interviews that explore the underlying political dimensions of trade agreements that act as barriers or facilitators to getting nutrition objectives on trade agendas.Setting:Countries experiencing greater availability and access to diets full of energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods through increased imports, greater foreign direct investment and increasing constraints on national health policy space as a result of trade agreements.Participants:Interviews took place with Australian government officials, industry, public-interest non-government organizations and academics.Results:The analysis reveals the formal and informal mechanisms and structures that different policy actors use both inside and outside trade negotiations to pursue their interests. The analysis also identifies the discourses used by the different actors, as they attempt to influence trade agreements in ways that support or undermine nutrition-related goals.Conclusions:Moving forward requires policy makers, researchers and health advocates to use various strategies including: reframing the role of trade agreements to include health outcomes; reforming the process to allow greater access and voice to health arguments and stakeholders; establishing cross-government partners through accountable committees; and building circles of consensus and coalitions of sympathetic public-interest actors.

Trade, standards and politics: global pressures on front-of-pack nutrition labelling interventions

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Thow
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Policy Space ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
Policy Level ◽  
High Level

Abstract Although interpretive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling is rightly considered a national health policy decision, it is also influenced by global trade agreements and international standards. Over the past decade, Specific Trade Concerns have been repeatedly raised at the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding potential impacts of FOP nutrition labelling initiatives on trade. One of the common concerns raised was regarding the consistency of the measures with international standards. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which makes global food standards, is currently developing global guidance for FoP nutrition labelling, which will almost certainly influence national policy making. This presentation draws on qualitative policy analysis research on trade concerns and international standards work regarding FOP nutrition labelling. Two challenges are evident at the global policy level. The first is the potential for constraints on policy space for innovative FOP nutrition labelling due to binding trade agreements. The second is the potential for significant industry input into standard development at Codex, which then constitute the reference point for WTO discussions on labelling. Historically, Codex standards have focussed primarily on acute risks, for example, from foodborne disease. This shift in Codex's activities towards standards to address NCDs presents new risks for achievement of public health goals, as a result of the high level of industry involvement in this forum and thus potential commercial conflict of interest. It is imperative that public health actors engage with Codex processes to ensure policy space for national governments to implement strong and effective regulation and allow scope for innovation. At the national policy level, strategic framing of nutrition labelling policy objectives and proactive policy engagement between trade and health can also minimise trade issues.

scholarly journals EU BIOFUELS POLICY—RAISING THE QUESTION OF WTO COMPATIBILITY

2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Switzer ◽  
Joseph A McMahon
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Imported Oil ◽  
Biofuels Policy ◽  
The Impact

Governments intervene in the energy sector using a variety of measures to pursue a range of objectives, from security of supply and energy efficiency to environmental protection. Recent concerns about the impact of fossil fuels on climate change have resulted in the increasing promotion of biofuels as an alternative to oil. While worries exist with regard to the environmental impact of biofuel production in ecologically sensitive areas, it has been argued that with an effective regulatory framework to promote sustainable production, biofuels could provide a mechanism to provide energy security in an environmentally positive way.1 The interest of the European Union (EU) in the promotion of biofuels production is a relatively recent phenomenon and it is now the world's largest producer of biodiesel and the fourth largest producer of bioethanol. At its most basic level, the promotion of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels is part of a wider EU effort to support the use of renewable energy. The promotion of renewable energy is traceable to a number of goals, a central one of which is ensuring security of energy supply.2 Other policy goals supported by the promotion of renewable energies include reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with climate change, decreasing dependence upon imported oil, the promotion of technological development as well as regional and rural development and employment.3

Biofuels and Renewables

2014 ◽  
pp. 64-87
Keyword(s):  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Transient Phase ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Production Policy ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Biofuel Policies ◽  
Long Term Impact

The world is now raging with the debate of whether biofuel can be called an environmentally friendly fuel given its lifecycle impacts on people, land, air, andwater. One school of thought suggests that biofuel production does not have an impact on people, land, air, and water. Whereas, there is another school that shows through consistent work that there is an impact on different elements of nature within the planet from biofuel production. Policy makers of different countries of the world are also in a transient phase about their biofuel policies. There is also a politics regarding which school of thought will dominate the policymaking related to the biofuel sector. Such a politics will have a long-term impact on the sustainability of the world by affecting the social, economic, and environmental domains of sustainability. This chapter raises these concerns to provoke thoughts in the minds of the reader.

Public Diplomacy in Croatia:Sharing NATO and EU Values with the Domestic Public

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mladen Andrlić ◽  
Iva Tarle ◽  
Suzana Simichen Sopta
Keyword(s):  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
International Standards ◽  
East Europe ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Dynamic Flows ◽  
Globalized World

Summary In a globalized world, with dynamic flows of information and communication, public diplomacy also supports internal understanding of international values and relations. The sharing of international standards, democratic changes and market reforms in Central, Eastern and South-East Europe has become more effective by communicating with the domestic public. This has also been experienced in Croatia, which has long been considered as one of the more advanced transition countries. Croatia’s strategic goal of becoming a functional market democracy has always been in line with NATO and EU values, although the costs and benefits of accession were, and still are, to be discussed both abroad and with the domestic public. Creating pluralistic, well-structured and institutionalized platforms for permanent public dialogue is a multifaceted activity that allows all segments of society to practise democracy. The lessons learned in Croatia confirm that a government — if and when it develops a domestic dialogue — not only gains public support for its foreign policy goals at home and abroad, but also becomes better articulated internationally.

scholarly journals Renovabio: Innovation and Sustainability at the New Brazilian Biofuels Policy or The Emperor’s New Clothes?

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnoldo S. Lima ◽  
Toni Fabiano
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Ecological Modernization ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Biofuel Policy ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Biofuel Policies ◽  
Biofuels Policy

Biofuel policies are an ongoing matter for both developed and developing countries. Brazil, a giant world producer, has a historical roll of regulations and laws that affect the sector. Nevertheless, studies from a political ecology perspective, which pay attention to the impacts of power relations and discourses in political outcomes are scarce. In this sense, we focus on the National Biofuel Policy (Renovabio), launched in 2017, to analyze discursive coalitions as well as perceptions from social actors settle in a biofuel production territory. We sought to understand contradictions between discourses and practices within Renovabio and how they reproduce traditional Brazilian Biofuel policies. To answer these questions, we used Atlas.ti software to support a content and critical discursive analysis in order to detect distinct perspectives, narratives and interests during Renovabio’s implementation. We draw on: i) statements from stakeholders, lobbyists, and Congress members; ii) Bills, Law Projects and ordinances texts from the special commissions and committees; iii) speeches from plenary sessions occurred on the National Congress; iv) Public Audiences contributions; v) articles from biofuel magazines and specialized websites; and, vi) digital platforms from lobbies and interest groups; We also conducted 24 interviews with community members, farmers, local government officials, civil associations, and industry representatives in the state of Goiás, a large ethanol/ sugar-energy production territory. Results pointed to a strong ecological modernization discourse deployed to justify the rapid policy implementation and to legitimize economic incentives, particularly ecological labeling/certification. Renovabio’s goals, speeches and practices are in many senses contradictory and reproduce problems detected in previous biofuel policies that dim legislative transparency, weakens accountability and tramples society participation and representativeness over biofuel development.

scholarly journals Fast measurement by infrared spectroscopy as support to woody biofuels quality determination

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Duca ◽  
Andrea Pizzi ◽  
Manuela Mancini ◽  
Giorgio Rossini ◽  
Chiara Mengarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Wood Chip ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Calorific Value ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Biomass Quality ◽  
Fast Measurement ◽  
Solid Biofuel

The increase in the demand for energy supply during the past few decades has brought and will bring to a growth in the utilisation of renewable resources, in particular of solid biomasses. Considering the variability in the properties of biomass and the globalisation of the timber market, a chemical and physical characterisation is essential to determine the biomass quality. The specific international standards on solid biofuels (ISO 17225 series) describe proper specification and classification of wood chip and pellet, to ensure appropriate quality. Moreover, standard requires information about origin and source of the biomass, normally only to be declared by the producers. In order to fulfill the requirements for the biomass quality, the origin and the source should be assessed, even if currently is hard to determine, in particular on milled or densified biomass. Infrared spectroscopy can provide information on the biomass at the chemical level, directly linked also to its origin and source. This technique is fast and not destructive thus suitable also for online monitoring along the biofuel production chain. In this study, 60 samples belonging to 8 different species were collected and related spectra were acquired using a Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectrometer equipped with a module for solid analysis and analysed by principal component analysis. The results obtained show that the method is very efficient in the identification between coniferous and deciduous wood (99% confidence level) and good results were obtained in the recognition of coniferous/deciduous mixtures, too. Nevertheless, some clear differences have been also noted among intra-class grouping, but additional tests should be carried out. This technique can provide useful information to solid biofuel stakeholders about wood quality and origin, important especially for sustainability issues. Further work will be oriented to the development of IR methodologies for the fast measurement of other important biomass parameters (<em>e.g.</em>, ash content, high calorific value, nitrogen content, <em>etc</em>.).

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