PANGEA has gone from strength to strength this Spring, creating new partnerships and highlighting new business models that we hope will help make access to bioenergy a reality in more communities while developing new opportunities for our members.  

In the coming month, we'll be releasing several new reports that should answer some key questions in the biofuels industry and pose some new ones (see below). The long-awaited African policy matrix is almost here, so make sure to keep an eye out for that.

Meghan Sapp, Secretary General

The Alliance will work in cooperation with other leading non-profit organisations, foundations, academic institutions, corporate leaders, governments, and UN agencies to help overcome the market barriers that currently impede the production, deployment, and use of clean cookstoves in the developing world.

PANGEA has been a GACC Champion since April 2011. For more information, please visit: www.cleancookstoves.org 

World Biofuels Markets 

For the 3rd year in a row, PANGEA was a proud partner of World Biofuels Markets, the leading international conference in Europe on biofuels.    

PRESENTATION: PANGEA's Secretary General, Meghan Sapp, stressed the importance of leveraging investment in not only large-scale commercial projects meant for export, but also to focus investment on small to medium scale production to increase energy security, create jobs, produce food AND fuel, and develop local economies - while decreasing GHG emissions. 

She spoke of the importance of producing renewable energy sustainably to encourage environmental, social and economic development in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

PANGEA also hosted a half day workshop on opportunities for India & Brazil in Africa, hosted a booth and sponsored the Green Shoots Award for the Sustainable Biofuels Awards.

For more information on the event & presentations, please visit:

http://pangealink.org/world-biofuels-markets 

EU Sustainable Energy Week 

"Clearing the Smoke: Promoting CleanCook Ethanol Stoves in Developing Countries"

On 14 April, PANGEA organised an event in the European Parliament to highlight the benefits of ethanol CleanCook stoves through Project Gaia Inc.'s (PANGEA member) projects in Haiti, Ethiopia, Brazil & Nigeria.

Presentations by: PANGEA, Christofer Fjellner, MEP (EPP/Sweden), Project Gaia, Inc., Stockholm Environment Institute & Dometic on the benefits & experiences using CleanCook ethanol stoves to reduce health hazards, deforestation and GHG emissions in developing countries.  

For more information on the event & presentations, please visit: http://pangealink.org/activities-events/cleancook-ethanol-stoves-event 

Keep an eye out for upcoming
Members Only reports:

Landgrabbing in Africa: Fact, Fiction, Solution

• Media & NGOs have claimed reports of rampant "landgrabbing", alleging that international investors are taking over prime land in sub-Saharan Africa for biofuels export, leaving communities hungry and landless.  
Industry experts say landgrabbing doesn't exisit & it is nearly impossible to acquire large tracts of land in Africa due to government & community land laws & practices. Who's right? What's the impact for the biofuels industry? 
PANGEA will soon publish a comprehensive report based on balanced data from leading international experts & interviews from biofuels investors and African government officials to discover the truth & find ways to move forward sustainably.  

African Biofuels Policy Overview

• PANGEA is finalising the first-ever comprehensive overview of all 54 sub-Saharan African countries, including information on: existing policy & roadmaps, blending mandates, incentives, sustainability criteria, selected feedstocks, zoning and more... 
• It is available for Members Only and will be an indispensable tool for any investor, biofuels producer, consultant or policy maker.

TRADE: Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) - EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) Update

• Since 2002, the EU-ACP Groups have been trying to negotiate new WTO-compliant trade schemes called Economic Partnership Agreements.  
• Originally seen as a step towards better trade cooperation with mutual benefits for both sides, the EPAs have become endless rounds of negotiations with little results and increased resentment.
• The EPAs were supposed to go into effect in 2008, but only one of the 7 regional groups has to date signed an EPA.
• PANGEA seeks to provide an update to the negotiations, how they've progressed, where they're heading and what it means for African biofuels production. 

http://pangealink.org/members-only-2/articles-reports-studies 

In April 2011, the European Commission (DG ENVIRONMENT) held a public consultation on the final assessment of the 6th EAP - asking stakeholders to comment on the achievement of the 6th EAP objectives, in terms of delivery of policy commitments (whether through legislation or other instruments) and focusing on the added value of the 6th EAP in facilitating the adoption of environment policies and the achievement of environmental goals.

For more information on the consultation and to view PANGEA's contribution, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/newprg/consult_2011.htm