Biomass Energy, Forests and Climate Library

Controversy over sustainable forests in Europe: counter democratic power opposing the energy use of forest biomass

The task of the research is to find out how citizens take part in the political debate and decision-making about the energy use of forest biomass. The purpose is to examine the means of public influence with the help of my chosen case example, which is a protest campaign against the Grangemouth biomass plant in Scotland carried out between 2010 and 2018.

EU bioenergy policy: debunking the myths on forest biomass

Bioenergy has a role to play in tackling climate change. But only if it provides significant and rapid cuts in emissions compared to fossil fuels. And that depends mainly on what you’re burning.

Unfortunately, when it comes to wood, EU rules treat pretty much everything equally, from large tree trunks to sawdust. Even though the climate impacts are radically different. So more and more trees are being burnt for energy - in the name of climate action.

Climate scientists: concept of net zero is a dangerous trap

We have arrived at the painful realisation that the idea of net zero has licensed a recklessly cavalier “burn now, pay later” approach which has seen carbon emissions continue to soar. It has also hastened the destruction of the natural world by increasing deforestation today, and greatly increases the risk of further devastation in the future.

To understand how this has happened, how humanity has gambled its civilisation on no more than promises of future solutions, we must return to the late 1980s, when climate change broke out onto the international stage.

Wiser with Wood – A guide on how to transpose the EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) to better protect forests, the climate, public health and other wood-using industries

This Guide identifies RED III’s legal requirements in the context of woody biomass for energy, describes Member States’ margins of manoeuvre, and proposes ways to better protect forests, the climate, public health and other wood-using industries from the problems created by the EU’s biomass policy.

An analysis of BECCS industries’ methodology for certifying industrial carbon removals

Fern commissioned a report from EU bioenergy and forest policy expert Duncan Brack which analyses the methodology suggested by two energy companies (Drax and Stockholm Exergi) for certifying carbon removals from Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). Both companies are planning to add a CCS installation to their existing biomass power plants.

This analysis takes place in a context where the European Commission is preparing methodologies for certifying industrial carbon removals, in particular for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS).
Leading scientists believe BECCS “risk[s] overstepping multiple planetary boundaries, with potentially irreversible consequences.” This analysis shows that the proposed industry methodology would fall far short of addressing scientists’ concerns, which we share.

From pine forest to power station

A video investigation (in Portuguese with English subtitles) by Biofuelwatch and the Portuguese NGO ZERO reveals that the Pinewells pellet plant in Portugal, whose biggest customer is Drax in the UK, has been sourcing trees from clearcuts in the mountainous Serra da Lousã nature reserve. The Serra da Lousã is designated a Natura 2000 site under the EU Habitats Directive. Portuguese legislation does not currently prohibit logging and even clearcutting forests in such nature reserves, which the European Commision has taken the Portuguese government to court over.

Forest Injustice: The Truth Behind Biomass Industry #LookBiden

Southern environmental justice leaders rallied in DC. They had demands. They urged Biden to stop the dirty wood pellet biomass industry and to focus on environmental justice communities who are suffering. #LookBiden

Das Schwinden der Wälder

Robin Wood jubelte, als im Koalitionsvertrag der Ampelregierung 2022 bekanntgegeben wurde, dass das
Bundeswaldgesetz von 1975 endlich novelliert werden soll! Doch heute ist klar: Wird die Novelle so umgesetzt
wie sie jetzt formuliert ist, wird das Gesetz kaum dazu beitragen, die dramatischen Lage des Waldes zu verbessern.

The European biomass puzzle – Challenges, opportunities and trade-offs around biomass production and use in the EU

This report from the European Environmental Agency EEA looks at how biomass could help with reaching the EU climate and environmental objectives, and how climate change might affect the EU's biomass production in agriculture and forest sectors. It also discusses key synergies and trade-offs in the use of biomass for different policy objectives.