Bioproducts and renewable energy contribute to climate change mitigation by replacing fossil materials and by helping to absorb CO2 emissions through properly managed land-use and forestry. However, there are questions as to whether more could be done to build on this potential, whether bio-based alternatives are always a good option for tackling climate change and what trade-off exists between bioproducts and bioenergy. The European Commission is currently reviewing its bioeconomy strategy and the 2050 climate roadmap, and the EU is in the final stages of adopting the Clean Energy Package. Globally the world is gearing up for the international climate negotiations in December. This Policy Dialogue assessed how the bioeconomy can become a key driver in mitigating climate change. How can the EU policy framework ensure that the bioeconomy can help deliver on climate objectives?

Speakers included: Marco Giuli, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre, Waldemar Kütt, Head of Unit for the Bioeconomy Strategy at the DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission, Jari Voutilainen, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs of Metsä Group, Emanuele Paolo Sicuro, Government Affairs Manager at Cargill, Silvia Nanni, Policy Analyst at IEEP, Jori Sihvonen, Clean Fuels Officer at Transport and Environment.