In this article, we attempt to find the spatial relations between deforestation and biofuel production at global level by analyzing available global deforestation and biofuels data, and find that, for a variety of reasons relating to data availability and its characteristics, and the way biofuels are produced, this task is extremely difficult if not virtually impossible. Then we bring down the scale of the analysis to the case study level and provide a detailed methodology for analyzing the spatial relation between deforestation and biofuel development. We argue that this multi-scale approach, based on systematic sampling at the case study level would help to better understand the relation between biofuels and deforestation. Given the fact that biofuels are a highly contested approach to reduction of global carbon emissions, and that different lobbies in this debate are making claims that deforestation is, or is not, occurring as a result of the expansion of biofuel production, clarity on the methodological difficulties of making statements of this kind, at least in a global spatial analysis, may help avoid false conclusions being promulgated in the future.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2010.10.007Altmetric score:
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Source
Applied Geography 31(2): 508-518
Publication year
2011
ISSN
0143-6228
Authors
Gao, Y.; Skutsch, M.; Drigo, R.; Pacheco, P.; Masera, O.
Geographic
Brazil
Topic
Kristen Evans
CIFOR Associate
Julia E. Fa
CIFOR Senior Associate
Willy Daeli
Consultant
Lauren Coad
Consultant
Rebecca McLain
CIFOR Senior Associate
David Fabre
Consultant
Rodd Myers
CIFOR Associate
Boen Purnama, MSc
CIFOR Senior Associate
Shalini Dhyani
Scientist
Bishwa Nath Oli
CIFOR Associate