Biofuels and Climate Change will focus on regional and global assessment of biofuel land use change (LUC) and impacts, by gathering state of the art research and understandings regarding the following sections: (1) observation- and model-based identification of direct and indirect LUC resulted from production of first- to third-generation biofuels; (2) observational and modeling evaluations of LUC impacts on biogeochemical (e.g., carbon balance and greenhouse gas emissions) and biophysical processes (e.g., energy balance and water budget); (3) overall assessment on large-scale climatic impacts (biogeochemical and/or biophysical) of national or global biofuel production in the face of increasing demand of renewable and sustainable energy. Many current individual studies have looked into some specific areas of the book (e.g., soil carbon, albedo change), but not the whole picture concerning LUC and both of its biogeochemical and biogeophysical regulations in the context of national large-scale biofuel expansion. This book allows for the first time, a full coverage of the topic, and provides opportunity for new evidence and findings that can amend or advance our current understandings, which can shed light on biofuel related policy making and all studies that involves in land use change.
Many current individual studies have looked into some specific areas of the book (e.g., soil carbon, albedo change), but not the whole picture concerning LUC and both of its biogeochemical and biogeophysical regulations in the context of national large-scale bioenergy expansion. This book allows the first time full coverage of the topic, and provides opportunity for new evidence and findings that can amend or advance our current understandings, which can shed light on bioenergy related policy making and all studies that involves in land use change. The first part of the book will be focused on land use change concepts, relationships with biofuel production, observational and modeling evidences related to biofuel-specific land use change. Economic, social and political drivers of land use change will also be discussed in the context of current and future global biofuel expansion. The part two investigates individual major aspects of biogeochemical impacts associated with land use change. This includes ecosystem carbon and nitrogen balances, and their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. Soil carbon change, as one of the most affected factor by land use change, will be emphasized in two chapters: one on empirical studies and the other on model simulations. Data-driven researches in this area will be discussed on topics such as ecosystem model, regional carbon quantification and assessment uncertainties. In part three, biogeophysical impacts will be focused on two important topics, albedo change and water budget. The overall biogeophysical climate metrics and possible quantification approach will also be discussed. The last part of the book reviews the overall land use change impacts on climate regulations (e.g., in terms of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions). Discussions will emphasize the importance of selection, use, uncertainties and limitations of data, model and methods. A chapter will be dedicated to land use change and biofuel policy discussion.
