On sustainability of bioenergy production: Integrating co-emissions from agricultural intensification

Biomass from cellulosic bioenergy crops is seen as a substantial part of future energy systems, especially if climate policy aims at stabilizing CO2 concentration at low levels. However, among other concerns of sustainability, the large-scale use of bioenergy is controversial because it is hypothesized to increase the competition for land and therefore raise N2O emissions from agricultural soils due to intensification. We apply a global land-use model that is suited to assess agricultural non-CO2 GHG emissions. First, we describe how fertilization of cellulosic bioenergy crops and associated N2O emissions are implemented in the land-use model and how future bioenergy demand is derived by an energy-economy-climate model. We then assess [...]