The biofuels sector is in the midst of turmoil, and many people are asking whether biofuels will be able to deliver on their climate change, energy security and rural development objectives.

Whether biofuels will emerge from the current deadlock will depend on the policies and strategies that countries adopt, says The Biofuels Market: Current Situation and Alternative Scenarios.

The new UNCTAD report discusses "alternative decision paths" governments may consider in relation to biofuels and provides insights on the global repercussions those different choices may imply. The scenarios are linked to the following specific issues:

* The role of government targets for biofuel use.
* Links between biofuels and the greenhouse gas markets.
* Prospects offered by the unfolding of new biofuel technologies and the related intellectual property rights issues.
* Trade potential available to developing countries.
* Possible changes that could occur in current production and trade patterns, should alternative biofuel feedstocks become commercially available.

The report represents a new contribution by UNCTAD to the analysis of this dynamic and complex sector of the world economy.

This activity was made possible by the generous financial contribution of the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea of Italy. UNCTAD has been working on the trade and development implications of biofuels since 2005, through its Biofuels Initiative.

© 2009 United Nations