Rising food prices have fuelled controversy about the production of liquid biofuels for transport. Currently, biofuels are produced from food crops, such as sugar cane or rape seed, and have been criticized for yielding low economic and environmental benefits compared to fossil fuels. If sustainably managed, large forested areas could serve as a source for a new generation of biofuels derived from wood that is better than current biofuels from food crops in terms of energy efficiency, environmental benefits and socio-economical impacts. This is one of the conclusions of a recent report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization that has been summarised by GreenFacts.

Read the GreenFacts summary on Forest and Energy