IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v102y2019icp346-355.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is the expansion of sugarcane over pasturelands a sustainable strategy for Brazil's bioenergy industry?

Author

Listed:
  • Oliveira, Dener M.S.
  • Cherubin, Maurício R.
  • Franco, André L.C.
  • Santos, Augusto S.
  • Gelain, Jaquelini G.
  • Dias, Naissa M.S.
  • Diniz, Tatiana R.
  • Almeida, Alexandre N.
  • Feigl, Brigitte J.
  • Davies, Christian A.
  • Paustian, Keith
  • Karlen, Douglas L.
  • Smith, Pete
  • Cerri, Carlos C.
  • Cerri, Carlos E.P.

Abstract

Biofuels are fundamental for meeting societal energy needs within the next few decades, but the sustainability of large-scale land use conversions to supply feedstock crops remains unclear. Quantitative data documenting how biofuel crop expansion will affect ecosystem services (ES) is needed to develop sustainable energy policies. Using pairwise comparisons of published and novel environmental, social and economic indicators, we quantitatively assessed the provision of critical ES related to key aspects of the sustainability of pasture-to-sugarcane transitions in Brazil. We found that with the exception of maintaining biodiversity, conversion of pasturelands to sugarcane fields enhanced many ES. Based on the Sustainability index, aimed to capture changes on key sustainability aspects by considering multiple ES and properly integrating them, we concluded that pasture to sugarcane transitions would increase the sustainability by 78% in south-central Brazil. Our results provide science-based empirical evidence that the expansion of sugarcane into degraded pasturelands is a suitable strategy to enhance Brazil's biomass feedstock supplies for producing bioenergy. Moreover, facing the complex and multidimensional concept of sustainability, our study also illustrates the importance of considering holistically land use change effects rather than individual ESs when establishing sustainable land management practices and bioenergy policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Oliveira, Dener M.S. & Cherubin, Maurício R. & Franco, André L.C. & Santos, Augusto S. & Gelain, Jaquelini G. & Dias, Naissa M.S. & Diniz, Tatiana R. & Almeida, Alexandre N. & Feigl, Brigitte J. & Dav, 2019. "Is the expansion of sugarcane over pasturelands a sustainable strategy for Brazil's bioenergy industry?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 346-355.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:102:y:2019:i:c:p:346-355
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.12.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032118308074
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2018.12.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Scarlat, Nicolae & Dallemand, Jean-François, 2011. "Recent developments of biofuels/bioenergy sustainability certification: A global overview," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1630-1646, March.
    2. Maurício R Cherubin & Douglas L Karlen & Carlos E P Cerri & André L C Franco & Cássio A Tormena & Christian A Davies & Carlos C Cerri, 2016. "Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1-26, March.
    3. Thornley, Patricia & Rogers, John & Huang, Ye, 2008. "Quantification of employment from biomass power plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 1922-1927.
    4. Bhanojirao, V. V., 1991. "Human development Report 1990: Review and assessment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 19(10), pages 1451-1460, October.
    5. Ilya Gelfand & Ritvik Sahajpal & Xuesong Zhang & R. César Izaurralde & Katherine L. Gross & G. Philip Robertson, 2013. "Sustainable bioenergy production from marginal lands in the US Midwest," Nature, Nature, vol. 493(7433), pages 514-517, January.
    6. Deepak Jaiswal & Amanda P. De Souza & Søren Larsen & David S. LeBauer & Fernando E. Miguez & Gerd Sparovek & Germán Bollero & Marcos S. Buckeridge & Stephen P. Long, 2017. "Brazilian sugarcane ethanol as an expandable green alternative to crude oil use," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 7(11), pages 788-792, November.
    7. Richard D. Bardgett & Wim H. van der Putten, 2014. "Belowground biodiversity and ecosystem functioning," Nature, Nature, vol. 515(7528), pages 505-511, November.
    8. Sánchez, A.S. & Almeida, M.B. & Torres, E.A. & Kalid, R.A. & Cohim, E. & Gasparatos, A., 2018. "Alternative biodiesel feedstock systems in the Semi-arid region of Brazil: Implications for ecosystem services," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2744-2758.
    9. Marcia N. Macedo & Eric A. Davidson, 2014. "Forgive us our carbon debts," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(7), pages 538-539, July.
    10. Xiaoxia Zou & Yu’e Li & Kuo Li & Roger Cremades & Qingzhu Gao & Yunfan Wan & Xiaobo Qin, 2015. "Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural irrigation in China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 295-315, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lemos, S.V. & Salgado Junior, A.P. & Rebehy, P.C.P.W. & Carlucci, F.V. & Novi, J.C., 2021. "Framework for improving agro-industrial efficiency in renewable energy: Examining Brazilian bioenergy companies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    2. Canabarro, N.I. & Silva-Ortiz, P. & Nogueira, L.A.H. & Cantarella, H. & Maciel-Filho, R. & Souza, G.M., 2023. "Sustainability assessment of ethanol and biodiesel production in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. de Oliveira, Ingrid Nehmi & de Souza, Zigomar Menezes & Lovera, Lenon Henrique & Vieira Farhate, Camila Viana & De Souza Lima, Elizeu & Aguilera Esteban, Diego Alexander & Fracarolli, Juliana Aparecid, 2019. "Least limiting water range as influenced by tillage and cover crop," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jianliang Wang & Yuru Yang & Yongmei Bentley & Xu Geng & Xiaojie Liu, 2018. "Sustainability Assessment of Bioenergy from a Global Perspective: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-19, August.
    2. He, Liuyue & Xu, Zhenci & Wang, Sufen & Bao, Jianxia & Fan, Yunfei & Daccache, Andre, 2022. "Optimal crop planting pattern can be harmful to reach carbon neutrality: Evidence from food-energy-water-carbon nexus perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    3. Iriarte, Alfredo & Rieradevall, Joan & Gabarrell, Xavier, 2012. "Transition towards a more environmentally sustainable biodiesel in South America: The case of Chile," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 263-273.
    4. Du, Yimeng & Takeuchi, Kenji, 2019. "Can climate mitigation help the poor? Measuring impacts of the CDM in rural China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 178-197.
    5. James Thurlow & Giacomo Branca & Erika Felix & Irini Maltsoglou & Luis E. Rincón, 2016. "Producing Biofuels in Low-Income Countries: An Integrated Environmental and Economic Assessment for Tanzania," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 64(2), pages 153-171, June.
    6. Yinhong Hu & Weiwei Yu & Bowen Cui & Yuanyuan Chen & Hua Zheng & Xiaoke Wang, 2021. "Pavement Overrides the Effects of Tree Species on Soil Bacterial Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-11, February.
    7. Tiziano Gomiero, 2015. "Are Biofuels an Effective and Viable Energy Strategy for Industrialized Societies? A Reasoned Overview of Potentials and Limits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-31, June.
    8. Baudry, Gino & Delrue, Florian & Legrand, Jack & Pruvost, Jérémy & Vallée, Thomas, 2017. "The challenge of measuring biofuel sustainability: A stakeholder-driven approach applied to the French case," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 933-947.
    9. Massimo Buscema & Pier Luigi Sacco & Guido Ferilli, 2016. "Multidimensional Similarities at a Global Scale: An Approach to Mapping Open Society Orientations," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 1239-1258, September.
    10. Monika Vilkiene & Ieva Mockeviciene & Grazina Kadziene & Danute Karcauskiene & Regina Repsiene & Ona Auskalniene, 2023. "Bacterial Communities: Interaction to Abiotic Conditions under Effect of Anthropogenic Pressure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Yongwei Zhou & Changhai Liu & Ning Ai & Xianghui Tuo & Zhiyong Zhang & Rui Gao & Jiafeng Qin & Caixia Yuan, 2022. "Characteristics of Soil Macrofauna and Its Coupling Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Loess Area of Northern Shaanxi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-14, February.
    12. Turetta, Ana Paula Dias & Kuyper, Thomas & Malheiros, Tadeu Fabrício & Coutinho, Heitor Luiz da Costa, 2017. "A framework proposal for sustainability assessment of sugarcane in Brazil," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 597-603.
    13. Kargbo, Hannah & Harris, Jonathan Stuart & Phan, Anh N., 2021. "“Drop-in” fuel production from biomass: Critical review on techno-economic feasibility and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    14. Golam Saleh Ahmed Salem & So Kazama & Shamsuddin Shahid & Nepal C. Dey, 2018. "Groundwater-dependent irrigation costs and benefits for adaptation to global change," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 953-979, August.
    15. Elizabeth Stanton, 2007. "The Human Development Index: A History," Working Papers wp127, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    16. Mercure, J.-F. & Paim, M.A. & Bocquillon, P. & Lindner, S. & Salas, P. & Martinelli, P. & Berchin, I.I. & de Andrade Guerra, J.B.S.O & Derani, C. & de Albuquerque Junior, C.L. & Ribeiro, J.M.P. & Knob, 2019. "System complexity and policy integration challenges: The Brazilian Energy- Water-Food Nexus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 230-243.
    17. Lei Wang & Xiaobo Huang & Jianrong Su, 2022. "Tree Species Diversity and Stand Attributes Differently Influence the Ecosystem Functions of Pinus yunnanensis Secondary Forests under the Climate Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-12, July.
    18. Cansino, J.M. & Pablo-Romero, M.del P & Román, R. & Yñiguez, R., 2012. "Promotion of biofuel consumption in the transport sector: An EU-27 perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(8), pages 6013-6021.
    19. Kung, Chih-Chun & Wu, Tao, 2021. "Influence of water allocation on bioenergy production under climate change: A stochastic mathematical programming approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    20. Stefan Arens & Sunke Schlüters & Benedikt Hanke & Karsten von Maydell & Carsten Agert, 2020. "Sustainable Residential Energy Supply: A Literature Review-Based Morphological Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-28, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:102:y:2019:i:c:p:346-355. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.