Second-Generation Biofuels and Climate Change: an Indian Perspective

Abstract

In India, the demand for energy to meet the growing pace of economic development and to improve human welfare and health is increasing at a very fast rate. To meet this increasing demand for energy, fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are the predominant sources. In 2014, fossil fuels account for around 92% of the total fuel consumption. The contribution of fossil fuels at this level in the total energy consumption of a country results in the rapid growth in carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major contributor of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are likely to be the main reason for the increasing global average temperature since the mid-20th century. This shows that the extensive use of fossil fuel to meet the increasing demand of energy is the prime factor for the problem of climate change. For climate change mitigation without affecting the energy consumption, the use of second-generation biofuels is among the best alternatives, as they are considered as carbon neutral or even carbon negative. This characteristic of second-generation biofuels makes them the most favourite alternative of the fossil fuel. This paper provides an overview of the impacts of climate change caused due to the extensive use of fossil fuel along with capability of second-generation biofuels to mitigate the climate change without affecting the energy supply.