Chatham House report confirms disastrous climate impacts of large-scale wood-based bioenergy

The research papers, which compile peer-reviewed scientific evidence, examine the serious flaws in international greenhouse gas accounting for biomass, which applies to the UK. They also examine the current and the expected future growth of wood-based bioenergy markets worldwide. They strongly criticise the biomass sustainability standards proposed by the European Commission to apply after 2020, and those developed by the governments of the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, as well as industry’s own voluntary certification scheme, the Sustainable Biomass Partnership: 

These schemes’ failures to account, comprehensively or at all, for changes in forest carbon stock mean they cannot be considered adequate.”

The Chatham House research has been widely reported in the UK and international media, including the BBC, the Times and Channel 4 in the UK. The author’s simple but comprehensive summary of the research can be found here. 

 

These papers only add to Biofuelwatch’s conviction that biomass power is not ‘clean, green renewable energy’ but an ecological disaster, and making climate change worse. It should not receive over £800 million every year from the UK billpayer whilst support for wind, solar, hydro and home insulation – none of which rely on cutting down forests – is slashed. 

 

Please Take Action Now – write to your MP and ask them to campaign to put an end to this mad policy, and support instead genuine renewable power that does not destroy precious forests.