World and energy industry leaders are gathering this week in Dubai at the World Energy Forum. The major goal of the forum is to chart a roadmap for a sustainable energy mix. In light of the meeting, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) renewed its call for the adoption of politices that will include biofuels as a significant part of the world’s future energy mix.

The World Energy Forum facilitates a conversation and an exchange of ideas between heads of state, national energy ministers, and energy industry leaders. The goal is to find solutions to the challenges facing a sustainable energy future through technological innovations, research and political will.

“2012 is the United Nations ‘International Year of Sustainable Energy for All’ and is the ideal time for World Energy Forum attendees to push for more biofuels friendly policies,” said Bliss Baker, who is the spokesperson for the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance. “We cannot continue to rely on our addiction to oil that continues to hamper economic growth, exacerbate climate change and drive up food prices.”

According to the GRFA, biofuels contributed $277.3 billion to the global economy and supported nearly 1.4 million jobs in 2010. This year ethanol production is forecasted to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 100 million tonnes globally. Last year the International Energy Agency released, Technology Roadmap – Biofuels for Transport, which stated that biofuels could make up 27% of the worlds transport fuels by 2050, eliminate 2.1 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions and not jeopardize food security. Recently the IEA called for biofuels production to double so their CO2 reduction goal could be met by 2020.

“World and energy industry leaders must follow IEA recommendations and adopt policies that ensures global biofuels production doubles in the coming years to meet CO2 reduction goals and reduce our dangerous reliance on crude oil imports,” said Baker.