Page 128 - Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future

116 Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future

activity: in 2017 the total global investment in low-carbon electricity gen-
eration was USD 315 billion, while energy efficiency initiatives saw USD
236 billion in spending (IEA, 2018).
While the reduction of GHG emissions is critical in the transition to sus-
tainable development, it is important to retain the broader goal of continu-
ing prosperity for all people. This requires that research and development,
strategy, and policy-making include a much wider variety of sustainability
issues in addition to GHGs. One could argue that this is particularly relevant
in the bioenergy sector due to its breadth: the upstream and downstream
activities in the sector can span everything from basic waste processing
and agriculture to highly advanced conversion and combustion technolo-
gies, in the process affecting stakeholders in the entire demographic space.
To appreciate this fully, we must first consider the many facets of sustainable
development in more detail.

1.1 The UN sustainable development goals as a common
frame of reference
Perhaps the most widely used approach to describing sustainability is that
which categorizes a wide range of interacting aspects under three overarch-
ing “pillars” (United Nations, 2005), otherwise referred to as the “triple
bottom line” (Elkington, 1997): environment, economy, and society. In
recent years the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (United
Nations, 2015), which came into force for member states at the start of
2016, have been widely acknowledged as a common set of themes around
which we might further specify the aims of sustainability. The goals are out-
lined in the following Box.

UN sustainable development goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and
promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy
for all