Recently, there has been a strong resurgence of interest in bioenergy driven by factors such as higher oil price, mitigation of climate change and the belief that biofuels are less expensive than fossil fuel. This useful report examines the main issues and possible economic implications of this resurgence and assesses their potential impact on land use and the environment. Not surprisingly, the report does not claim to be definitive, given the controversial nature of some of the issues such as the impact of bioenergy on food prices, on forests, on biodiversity, on equity, etc.

The main conclusion of the book is that much about the future of bioenergy development remains unclear, and the climate change impact of bioenergy development uncertain. Food crops may continue to be primary feedstock for bioenergy in the future, and despite substantial investment in technology development to produce biofuels from non-food crops, this is not expected to be commercially viable in the medium-term future.

Given the high market demand for liquid biofuels and their multiple role, the development of bioenergy presents both opportunities and challenges for economic development and the environment. The report concludes that, for countries that plan to implement large-scale bioenergy production, it is crucial that land-use analyses be conducted by policy makers to examine the likely outcomes including trade-offs related to poverty, equity and the environment involved in choosing a bioenergy system. This is indeed a tall order, as such analyses are not easy to perform at the best of times.