bioeconomy - Environmental Paper Network

How a Carbon Accounting Problem is driving the Biomass Delusion

How is it that governments are encouraging the biomass industry to burn huge amounts of wood from forests as a “climate solution”, when it is a scientific fact that burning wood emits at least as much carbon as coal per unit of energy produced, and usually more? Something has gone badly awry. What is it […]

Stop Burning Trees! April Day of Action against Biomass Baddies

A banner protest which took place on 27th of April outside Vattenfall’s Moabit Power Station in Berlin, Germany. During April several biomass industry events are taking place in Europe, including the AGMs of Drax and Vattenfall and the Argus Biomass Conference. Members of our Forest, Climate and Biomass Working group held a day of action […]

New case study on the impacts of a biomass power station linked to a pulp and paper mill in South Africa

Picture: A Sappi logging site and pine plantation near Ngodwana, South Africa. EPN’s Forests, Climate and Biomass working group have published a new case study, undertaken by our South Africa based member group GeaSphere. The case study looks into the biomass power station built by Ngodwana Pulp and Paper mill and the impacts of burning […]

International Day of Forests: countries need to elevate forest protection and restoration over endless exploitation

Bielefeld, Germany, 21 March 2022 – On the International Day of Forests, the Environmental Paper Network (EPN) is sounding the alarm about the growing threats to the world’s forests, posed by the biomass energy and pulp & paper industries. Governments should become aware that the industries’ current levels of forest exploitation and growing volumes of […]

French company’s greenwashing unveiled: converted energy plants depend on imported forest wood, not sugarcane

Image: Bois Rouge plant; All rights reserved – Albioma Ce blog est aussi disponible en Français The French energy company Albioma is in the process of converting or replacing at least four coal power plants in French Overseas Territories to biomass. The company’s website implies that it relies on sugarcane, but in reality it increasingly […]

Stop burning stuff for energy if you are serious about tackling climate change

Blog post by Peg Putt, Co-coordinator of the Forests, Climate and Biomass Energy Working Group Beyond Burning, the video from Stand.earth and Emma Thompson, is timely in calling out forest biomass burning as a false solution to climate change. A clamour of false solutions pushed by vested interests followed the Climate COP 26, held in […]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Logging Loophole at the Heart of Glasgow Declaration

In a rare feel good moment in Glasgow, world leaders stepped into the spotlight at the climate negotiations to sign their declaration on ending deforestation and land degradation. Here at least, against the background of a Climate Code Red and disappointment that even this had not hastened the incremental pace of change nor secured commitment […]

International Day of Action on Big Biomass Round Up

Organised by EPN’s Forest, Climate & Biomass Working Group The 21st of October 2021 witnessed a terrific turn out from our member groups and their members from all around the world for the International Day of Action on Big Biomass. Thank you to everyone who took part! Below is a summary of some of […]

Keep bioenergy out of the Energy Charter Treaty, say 50+ groups

Including bioenergy within the Energy Charter Treaty would make harmful treaty even worse Brussels/Amsterdam/London – 6 July, 2021 – 58 civil society organisations have asked signatories of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) in a statement to withdraw from the treaty rather than allow it to be broadened to include bioenergy. The ECT, an international investment treaty for cross-border […]