Bioenergie? Na klar! Aber zu welchem Preis? Und was kommt als nächstes?

Summary Bioenergy? Yes, we can! But at what cost? And what else? Global energy demand is increasing, as is the environmental damage due to fossil fuel use. In this context bioenergy looks attractive. Waste biomass and crops with high energy yields that do not compete for prime cropland are more promising bioenergy feedstocks than food crops. Still, constrained land capacity relative to potential demands means that bioenergy can only be part of the solution. A more level playing field is needed for technologies that capture renewable energy more directly, particularly wind and solar voltaic power. Conventional arguments against these options – intermittent supply, high cost – are rapidly being overturned or are based on invalid cost accounting. A broader, more integrated approach is needed to energy policy, embracing all renewable energies that reduce GHG emissions without serious side‐effects and that have potential for longer‐term viability in a non‐distorted energy market, whilst also encouraging energy‐saving on the demand side. Governments should refrain from trying to pick renewable energy winners or creating new vested interests through unbalanced use of subsidies. Instead, they should promote the institutional and market conditions conducive to greener energy use, and should maximise their efforts to reach global consensus on emissions targets and reduction of fossil fuel subsidies.