Why develop a bioeconomy when Alberta has an abundance of coal and oil to meet our energy needs?
Global concerns about climate change and the escalating price of transportation fuels are driving the development of alternative energy sources. Biomass, the basis of the bioeconomy, is part of the global carbon cycle and therefore no net carbon emissions are produced. Bioenergy can also help diversify our economy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Companies and communities can become self sufficient energy producers from the resources in their local region. Bioenergy will never be developed to a scale which could replace our current fossil fuel use. However, bioenergy is part of the suite of renewable energies which will help to mitigate the effects of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) emissions. New demonstration plants have shown that renewable transportation fuels from wood can now be produced for less than fossil fuels or equivalent fuels made from agricultural biomass.
