15 - IIASA Conference '07 on Global Development - 14-15 November 2007

Sten Nilsson

The Three Fs: Food, Fiber, and Fuel

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Lecture Summary

Substantial global economic growth, especially in transition and developing economies, will mean increasing demand for food, industrial wood fibers, and vehicle fuel. Many politicians believe that biomass is the solution to food, economic, and energy security, while preserving the environment. However, agricultural productivity is slowing and suitable new agricultural land is hard to find. Moreover, the forest industry is also looking for land: an additional estimated 150–200 million ha by 2030 to expand fast-growing plantations, especially in tropical regions. Biomass for production of heat and electricity and liquid biofuels – presently a hot topic – will require an additional 280 million ha of biomass plantations to power a global vehicle fleet of some 1,400 million in 2030. Professor Sten Nilsson of IIASA's Forestry Program discusses efficient policies with respect to future biomass utilization.

Speaker Biography

Professor Sten Nilsson, was appointed Deputy Director of IIASA on July 2, 2002 having been Counselor to the Director since 1998. Professor Nilsson joined the Biosphere Project in January 1986 and became Leader of the Forestry Program in 1990.

Before joining IIASA, Professor Nilsson was Leader of the Institute of Forest Industry Market Studies and Professor in Economic Planning at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. During 1983-84, Professor Nilsson was appointed by the Canadian Government to set up new strategies for the forest sector in Canada. In 1985 he headed two commissions for the Swedish government concerning intensified research in the forest sector in Sweden.

A native of Sweden, Professor Nilsson has had a distinguished academic career in forest sector analysis with emphasis on policy analysis. He received his M.Sc. in forestry from the Royal College of Forestry in Stockholm in 1971 and his Ph.D. in economic planning from the same college in 1975. He became Professor in 1976 in economic planning at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He is a working member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, the Scientific Committee of Academia Istropolitana, Slovakia and an Academician of the UN International Academy of Informatics, Russia.

As can be seen from his CV, Sten Nilsson has authored and coauthored over 300 scientific publications. Most recently he has produced a "Governmental Bill" entitled Shared Responsibility on development policies for the Swedish forest sector. The "Bill" is based on (and copies) the principles and concepts presented in a real Bill by the Swedish Government dealing with Sweden's Policy for Global Development (Governmental Bill 2002/03:122). The new "Governmental Bill" on Swedish Forest Sector Development is to be regarded as a contribution to the debate on the development of the Swedish forest sector. More information…

An expert on boreal forests and global forest sector analysis, he is frequently asked to address international meetings on different issues dealing with the forest sector. He has held a number of consultancies in organizations such as The World Bank, FAO, OECD, EC and SIDA. He has served as an expert in different international organizations such as the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development (WCFSD), International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA), International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), WWF and Forest Trends. He leads an IUFRO Task Force on Information Technology and the Forest Sector and most recently was appointed as a lead author of the upcoming IPCC 4th Assessment Report.

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Last updated: 03 Apr 2009