E&EM Master's student Dulce Meldau co-authored a paper entitled "Involvement of Farmers in the UN Foundation Initiative on Biofuels". The paper was presented by the United Nations Foundation at the 6th Biannual Commodities and Policies Conference, held in Austria (April 2007). The event was focused on energy, climate and industrial development as focus areas.
In her paper, Dulce reported that the UN Foundation and the scientific research society Sigma Xi released the report “Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable.” The study suggested that changes in the average temperature of such magnitude are likely to be associated with the large and, perhaps, abrupt changes in climatic patterns that will adversely impact agriculture, forestry, fisheries, the availability of fresh water, the geography of disease, and the livability of human settlements, resulting in increasing loss of life and property. Those changes have the potential to lead to global-to-regional disruptions in ecosystems and to adverse impacts on food security, with social and economic consequences disproportionately affecting the poorest nations.
She explained that bioenergy has a significant role to play in the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions, in providing sustainable renewable energy sources, in reducing land degradation, and represents an opportunity to build on natural endowments, to develop rural economies, and to attract private-sector investment.
Dulce is a consultant to the International Bioenergy Initiative (IBI) of the United Nations Foundation. The IBI supports developing countries to expand the sustainable production, use, and management of bioenergy to attract foreign investment. It's activities includes expanding energy access in developing countries, promoting new trade opportunities, advocating sustainability, and financing investments in biofuels and
bioenergy. She also participated on the development of a working document prepared by the GBEP (Global Bioenergy Partnership of the G8 + 5 Countries), called "A Review of the Current State of Bioenergy Development in G8 + 5 countries". Dulce says that her UN Foundation job "is very interesting, demanding and timely given the recent developments
on the Climate Change international dialogue." The GBEP paper is available for viewing here.