September 9 Florence, IEA Bioenergy: Commenting on the upcoming planetary vote in the European Parliament on the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) next week, Dr. Paul Bennett, Chairman of the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee said:
Europe is facing a harsh winter season due to the Russian war in Ukraine and the question is: where will sufficient electricity and heat come from at affordable prices? Urgent action is needed to move away from dependence on fossil fuels, both for energy security and the climate.
But there are currently ongoing campaigns against wood bioenergy that misrepresent forestry practices on the ground. This is dangerously short-sighted and ignores the wider environmental and social implications. Policymaking should be based on facts, not fiction.
IEA Bioenergy, as well as the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC), have published reports to dispel misconceptions and misrepresentations regarding forest biomass.
Facts are:
Forest bioenergy is an important part of Europe's energy supply – especially for heat production – responding to current energy demand and security requirements in this critical political situation. More than 90% of the biomass used for energy comes from European resources.
Forests that are managed sustainably continue to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and – in addition to wood or pulpwood – also provide significant amounts of low-quality wood that can be used for energy. No forests need to be cut down.
Forest biomass used for energy is mainly residues and low-quality wood sources. The European Commission's Joint Research Center has found that around 50% of wood used for bioenergy in the EU comes from secondary products, such as forest industry by-products and post-consumer recovered wood, 17% from tree canopies , branches and other residues, and 20% of stem wood – which is usually coppice, thinwood for thin stems and poor quality harvested stems that cannot be used in sawmills or pulp and paper production.
So we note here: the wood used for bioenergy is not high quality wood, but usually consists of thinning wood, low quality wood, salvage wood, logging residues, processing residues or wood waste.
Any harvest of biomass – whether for bioenergy, building material, paper or other uses – must take place within sustainability limits. Sustainable forest management programs, such as those approved by FSC or PEFC, include clear requirements for the conservation of forests and their biodiversity. Many countries have incorporated similar forest management principles into their national or regional forestry legislation. Furthermore, in the European context, the Recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) sets further requirements to minimize the risk of using forest biomass derived from unsustainable practices. The directive would have been transposed into national law by all EU member states before June 30, 2021 and the sustainability requirements must also be met by imported biomass. Current campaigns often ignore the many steps already taken towards sustainable forest management, especially in Europe and North America.
The use of fossil fuels causes a linear flow of carbon from geological reserves to the atmosphere. Simply comparing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and bioenergy at the tailpipe – as is sometimes done – misses this fundamental difference between biogenic and fossil carbon. As long as harvests do not exceed forest carbon uptake, the use of woody biomass does not increase atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
The most important action now – in addition to ensuring access to energy and greater energy independence – is to transform energy and transport systems as quickly as possible so that we can leave fossil carbon in the ground. Sustainable bioenergy – including from wood – is now available and is compatible with existing energy infrastructure, allowing immediate replacement of coal, natural gas or petroleum fuels. It therefore plays an important role in supporting the transformation of the energy system to achieve net zero targets.
Source: ieabioenergy.com
