2. Materials andmethods
Model projections of future biofuel sustainability depend upon a
number of driving factors. For example, the consequences of past GHG
emissions will affect U.S. energy pathways regardless of biofuel use.
Despite this, ecosystem health and future GHG emissions can be
improved through the use of sustainable energy sources. Environmental
scanning and futures analysis of biomass feedstocks enable the assessment
of energy sustainability while acknowledging such conditions.
While environmental scanning was originally developed to aid businesses
in realizing information trends, it can easily be adapted to novel
situations. In particular, it has recently been used to determine impacts
of various forces upon future ecosystem health (Tonn, 2008; Jennings
and Lumpkin, 1992).
While environmental scanning has been applied to environmental
problems, the Tonn methodology improves the technique to produce
data that are expandable and comparable (Tonn, 2008; Liu et al.,
2009). Environmental scanning using the Tonnmethodology can incorporate
varying geographical and temporal ranges (Tonn, 2008). This
method integrates information from standard and non-standard
sources (e.g. science, policy and technology journals, industry reports,
government agencies, internet dialogue, and developer, funder, and
gray literature). The environmental scanning technique assimilates a