Spanish and Dutch policy experts have published research that used mathematical models to evaluate the role of public policy on biomass usage and better understand the “apparent tradeoff” between economic performance and a low-carbon, environmentally responsible production system.
The multi-region, computable general equilibrium model was combined with a biobased variant of the Global Trade Analysis Project database. The results showed that while public policy can effectively govern how biomass is used, EU’s fragmented policy landscape requires a “fundamental rethink on how to develop a workable holistic vision.”
“As EU policy interest in biologically renewable resources grows under the auspices of the EU’s bioeconomy strategy and with a paucity of biomass focused macroeconomic foresight studies, this research constitutes a first important step into understanding the potential contribution of this diverse collective of economic activities,” according to the paper.
The work was carried out as a collaboration between the Aragonese Agency for Research and Development, the Agricultural Economics Research Institute, and the European Commission, and was published in the open-access journal energies.