The Brazilian Biojet Fuel Platform was recently launched at the sidelines of the Rio +20 Summit. Aviation remains a critical area for emissions reductions and rapid innovation in the area of clean, next generation liquid fuels is a cause for optimism amongst the industry and it's stakeholders.

 

Aviation is one of the strongest growing transport sectors. In the period up to 2050, worldwide aviation is expected to grow by 4.5% annually. If fuel consumption and CO2 emissions were to grow at the same rate, CO2 emissions by worldwide aviation in 2050 would be nearly six times their current figure. As such, the potential importance of renewable fuel-based aviation can hardly be over-emphasised in terms of its role in driving biofuel demand worldwide. Yet it is a technologically complex and politically sensitive sector and it is incumbent on the global green energy community to come together to drive forward both production and demand in order that that potential can be truly realized.

The Global Biojetfuel Initiative was first conceived by ABPPM, Jatropha Alliance, CURCAS, and COSMO and presented to IATA back in March 2010 at the World Biofuel Markets Congress & Exhibition in Amsterdam, to establish a collaborative AAA platform, uniting actions in the three continents: Americas, Africa, and Asia. The aim was to meet the sustainable feedstock challenge for the Carbon Neutral Growth program of IATA.

As part of this program, the Brazilian Biojetfuel Program launches this week at Rio+20. The initiative is an important first step towards a Green Economy to bring together an open, collaborative platform. It is intended to unite governments, international organizations, farmers, associations, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, stakeholders, related downstream chemical companies and users of air transportation, to promote integrated actions towards a global sustainable biojetfuel and renewable chemicals value chain.

An executive committee will be formed in the subsequent steps, with the vision of structuring a global fund to promote integrated R&D efforts for sustainable feedstocks, similar to the Pan-American Research Platform on Jatropha coordinated by IICA/Procitropicos. This committee will select pilot projects in the different continents for coordinated trials, as well as consolidating sustainable feedstock worldwide to promote commercial flights using biojetfuel.

The concurrent launch of the Brazilian Biojetfuel Platform by UBRABIO at RIO+20 will establish the first step of the Americas' engagement towards the goals of the Global Biojetfuel Initiative. A Flying Green, Riding Green Program will be launched to promote commercial flights with biojetfuel for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.

Green Power Conferences are delighted to support this initiative and we would like to ask our clients and friends across the world to throw your weight behind it. Only by building real collective momentum across the biofuels supply chain can green aviation become a daily fact of life rather than a distant dream. We understand the importance of air transport in the global bioenergy space and at our annual World Biofuels Markets Brazil conference this year, we will have an extended panel debate discussing the Brazilian Biojetfuel sector featuring some of the leading thinkers and pioneers in the sector.

Please show your support for the initiative today by visiting www.sustainablebiojetfuel.com now and putting your name to the pledge. The last day of Rio +20 is 22nd June and the hope is to maximize the signatories by this day so please sign up today.