Biofuelwatch

Raising awareness of the negative impacts of industrial biofuels and bioenergy

Biofuelwatch provides systemic analysis based on secondary and occasionally primary research and undertakes advocacy and campaigning in relation to the climate, environmental, human rights and public health impacts of large-scale industrial bioenergy.

Our work

BIOFUELS

Biofuelwatch challenges the expansion of crop based and waste based biofuels for road transport and aviation. We highlight their real climate impacts, including indirect land use change, deforestation, land grabbing, and risks to food security and human rights. We call for genuine emissions reductions rather than replacing fossil fuels with other forms of burning.

BECCS AND BIOCHAR

Biofuelwatch opposes climate geoengineering approaches such as BECCS and biochar. These technologies are unproven at scale and depend on vast amounts of biomass, with serious risks to forests, ecosystems and communities. They also risk delaying real climate action by diverting attention from urgent emissions cuts.

#AXEDRAX CAMPAIGN

The Axe Drax campaign challenges large scale tree burning for electricity and the public subsidies that support it. We oppose the expansion of biomass power and plans to combine it with carbon capture. Our work focuses on protecting forests, exposing false climate claims, and ending support for destructive bioenergy.

BIOENERGY IN CALIFORNIA

In California, bioenergy and carbon removal proposals are being promoted as climate solutions. Biofuelwatch tracks these developments and highlights the risks of locking in combustion based infrastructure and expanding biomass demand. We advocate for real climate action based on cutting fossil fuel use, not replacing it with large scale bioenergy.

EUROPE: SUPPORT FOR CAMPAIGNS AGAINST BIG BIOMASS ACROSS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

We support campaigns across Europe opposing large scale biomass and related infrastructure. Our work connects groups across countries and shares evidence on climate impacts, forest loss, biodiversity harm, air pollution and community impacts. We push for policies that prioritise real renewables and reduced energy demand.

BIOMASS BACKGROUND

Biomass Basics explains why burning wood and other biomass is not a climate solution. It covers carbon emissions, forest impacts, air pollution and the problems with sustainability claims. This section provides clear explanations and links to evidence for people new to the issue.

Industrial scale bioenergy is harming communities and ecosystems as well as the climate

Featured

NESTE’s Biofuels: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Report about the Green Gold Label biomass certification scheme

Urgent action: Please ask your MP to say no to Drax’s AI data centre bid

Illusory Emissions Reductions from Biofuels Undermine California Progress on Climate

Latest updates

Biomass Basics

Apr 11, 2018

What are the problems with big biomass? In a nutshell - there are three problems: 1) It takes huge areas of land and huge quantities of wood to supply a tiny fraction of the energy we use. 2) Burning biomass emits CO2 to the atmosphere, just as burning fossil fuels...

Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? Documentary

Apr 10, 2018

“Burned: are trees the new coal" “What we're up against is that our economic system values forest destruction over forest protection, and at the end of the day that's what we have to change.” - Danna Smith, Dogwood Alliance An award-winning documentary by independent...

The Strange Case of Uskmouth Power Station

Apr 5, 2018

Note: This briefing has not been updated since October 2018. As of January 2020, the power station has not been converted, and the developers are instead commissioning a feasibility study into the possibility of burning pellets from Refuse Derived Fuel. Uskmouth coal...

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