IEEP’s team of biodiversity and agriculture experts presented the findings of two recent IEEP reports to the Science and Technology Options (STOA) Panel of the European Parliament in a meeting in Strasbourg. The first study focusses on options for European agriculture in mitigating and adapting to climate change and maintaining and restoring biodiversity, and the other on options for recycling agricultural, forestry and food wastes and residues for sustainable bioenergy and biomaterials.

The MEPs showed a detailed interest in the IEEP recommendations in four priority areas for agriculture, including the provision of incentives for climate resilient and biodiversity-friendly farmland management; constraining unsustainable practices; implementing innovative options (and safeguards), and reducing the external impacts of European agriculture and biofuel imports. They were also particularly interested in the recommendations for the use of residues for biomaterials and bioenergy. These highlighted that policy encouragement of this sector is justified only with enhanced transparency and strong sustainability safeguards, and that there is need for predictable environmental ground rules in order to attract investment and ensure the long-term viability of the sector. IEEP led both studies within the overall framework of five studies on the broad theme of “Technology options for feeding 10 billion people” that were commissioned by the STOA Panel. Currently the IEEP team is leading work on a synthesis report of all five studies prepared for STOA. The results of the synthesis will be presented in a public workshop with stakeholders on 4 December 2013 in the European Parliament.

Contact: Evelyn Underwood