The ongoing rush for land in Sub-Saharan
Africa, biofuels and the importance of
developing country partners in PCD.
Aaron Leopold
Prepared for the Meeting of the National Focal Points for PCD,
9 February, 2012, OECD, Paris.
aleopolds@globalgovernance.eu
Biofuels: an open Pandora’s Box for PCD?
①
Auto industry
②
Environmental Concerns
③
Food vs. Fuel
④
Trade
⑤
Land & Food
⑥
Environmental Concerns again
⑦
2nd Generation?
Land acquisitions or “grabbing”
in Sub-Saharan Africa

Jump from 4 to 60+ mil. hectares per annum from 2008-10
(France!)

5-10% of total SSA land

Shady contracts

Friis/Reenberg 2010: majority for biofuels

ILC 2012: three quarters for biofuels

“Worst in Best” practices?
Policy Coherence for Biofuels
•
Biofuels: PCD is (Global) Political Economy
•
Meaningful & long term cooperation on policy with all ministries and
development partners at all PCD stages
•
(commitment & statements, coordination mechanisms, monitoring)
•
EU opened door & legitimized global boom
•
EU 2011 Report on Policy Coherence for Development:
“Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead”
•
•
p107 “Energy policy: continue to work on the sustainability of
biofuels and biomass, including monitoring of impacts.”
Contingency planning?
Many thanks – Questions?
Aaron Leopold
Global Governance Institute (GGI), Brussels
Freie Universität Berlin
International Institute for Sustainable Development
aleopold@globalgovernance.eu or aaron@iisd.org
Visit www.globalgovernance.eu