Water consumption and productivity of biofuels, native vegetation and other crops: Potential contribution of Remote Sensing

The point of departure for this paper is thus that the availability of water is likely to be a determinant of the success of biofuel investments and the impact of biofuel developments on other water users. Overall, such impacts will depend on markets, relative prices between various inputs and outputs (especially food and fuel), government policies and of course climate change. However, largescale investments in biofuel plantations may have significant impacts on water availability for other users and a narrow analysis of these relationships can contribute to the broader assessment of biofuel impacts.