Policies for the Sustainable Development of Biofuels in Pan America: A Review and Synthesis of Five Countries

Rapid growth of biofuel production in the United States and Brazil over the past decade has increased interest in replicating this success in other nations of the Pan American region. However, the continuing production of food-based feedstock is widely seen as unsustainable and is in some cases linked to deforestation and increased greenhouse gas emissions, raising further doubts about long-term sustainability. As a result, many nations are exploring the production and use of cellulosic feedstock, though progress has been extremely slow.  In this paper we will review the North-South axis of biofuel production in Pan America and its linkage with the agricultural sectors in five countries in Pan American. The key research question is “are national biofuel policies achieving their goals?” Policy goals and results will be highlighted for the main biofuel policies that have been enacted at the national level.  The geographic focus will be given to the two largest producers - the United States and Brazil; two smaller emerging producers – Argentina and Canada; and one stalled program - Mexico. However, several additional countries in the region are either producing or planning to produce biofuels. We will also review alternative international governance regimes for biofuel sustainability that have been recently developed, and whether the biofuel programs are being managed to achieve improved environmental quality and sustainable development.