Indicators for assessing socioeconomic sustainability of bioenergy systems: A short list of practical measures |
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| Institution: | 1. Center for Bioenergy Sustainability, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6036, USA;2. Energy and Transportation Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA;3. Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA;1. Department of Sciences of Agriculture, Food and Environment (SAFE), University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy;2. Department of Economics, University of Foggia, Via Romolo Caggese 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy;3. Department of Economics, University of Foggia, Largo Papa Giovanni Paolo II, 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy;1. Natural Resources Institute Finland, Rural Policy and Research, Helsinki, Finland;2. Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Energy and Environmental Technology, Joensuu, Finland;1. University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland;2. Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland;3. University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland;1. Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom;2. The Green House, 18 Kemms Road, Wynberg 7800, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | Indicators are needed to assess both socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators can help to identify and quantify the sustainability attributes of bioenergy options. We identify 16 socioeconomic indicators that fall into the categories of social well-being, energy security, trade, profitability, resource conservation, and social acceptability. The suite of indicators is predicated on the existence of basic institutional frameworks to provide governance, legal, regulatory and enforcement services. Indicators were selected to be practical, sensitive to stresses, unambiguous, anticipatory, predictive, estimable with known variability, and sufficient when considered collectively. The utility of each indicator, methods for its measurement, and applications appropriate for the context of particular bioenergy systems are described along with future research needs. Together, this suite of indicators is hypothesized to reflect major socioeconomic effects of the full supply chain for bioenergy, including feedstock production and logistics, conversion to biofuels, biofuel logistics and biofuel end uses. Ten indicators are highlighted as a minimum set of practical measures of socioeconomic aspects of bioenergy sustainability. Coupled with locally prioritized environmental indicators, we propose that these socioeconomic indicators can provide a basis to quantify and evaluate sustainability of bioenergy systems across many regions in which they will be deployed. |
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