The German government is laying the foundation for sustainable use of biomass from forestry, agriculture and waste management. To this end, on October 6, the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment presented key points to ensure sustainable production and use of biomass in Germany that is consistently aligned with climate, environment and biodiversity goals.
The sustainably available biomass potential, the preservation of natural ecosystems and the food-first principle (food security priority) form the action framework.
Based on these key points, the strategy will be developed in consultation with representatives of politics, business, science and society and will be adopted next year. The German government says it is implementing a further mandate from the coalition agreement. It aims at identifying medium and long-term perspectives for the use of biomass. Questions about the short-term role of bioenergy in the context of energy supply security are not central to the strategy.
According to German Economics Minister Robert Habeck: “Biomass – i.e. wood, energy crops or organic waste for example – is a resource in high demand and is also a domestic resource. Even though it is of natural origin and is a renewable raw material, its use is not necessarily climate and environmentally friendly.
“Biomass is also scarce. That is why we need rules for sustainable use. With the biomass strategy we create the necessary guidelines for this. It should ensure that in the future biomass is only used in sustainably available quantities, in a more targeted way for climate protection and the transformation of our economy towards greenhouse gas neutrality.
”In this way we create a reliable long-term framework for investments, also in rural areas – always in harmony with the conservation of our natural resources. In the EU we are also setting an example with the strategy of how European climate protection and environmental goals can best be achieved together.”
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir said: “In these times of far-reaching consequences for global food security from the Russian attack on Ukraine, in violation of international law, and increasing competition for scarce raw materials, responsible and forward-looking use of our natural resources is more important than ever.
“Grain and oilseed production in the field, livestock farming and grassland use, wood from forestry: these are all basic production areas of biomass use and a central pillar for our agriculture, forestry and the countryside.
In view of further necessary efforts to secure food and energy supplies and to protect the climate and biodiversity, the National Biomass Strategy is an important instrument to make sustainably produced biomass usable in a targeted and system-serving manner and to safeguard its potential. Addressing these challenges requires careful consideration of the future use of limited and sustainable biomass potential, which must be supported by clear guiding political principles and concrete policy instruments.”
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said: “The climate and biodiversity crises are two sides of the same coin and can only be solved together. We should not pit the crises against each other.
The aim of the National Biomass Strategy is therefore to determine how much sustainably extracted and produced biomass is available and to use it within ecological limits.
To make a measurable and sustainable contribution to climate and biodiversity protection, it is necessary to carefully consider what the scarce raw material biomass should be used for.
We need efficient cascade use: high-quality materials must be used sustainably, in the case of wood, for example for the production of building materials or furniture. At the same time, protecting ecosystems that naturally store CO2 leads to a measurable contribution to climate protection and biodiversity conservation, which means that it can make sense to leave wood in the forest.”
Agricultural and forest biomass is already used in many areas in Germany, also to achieve German climate goals. These include manure for biogas and therefore energy production and wood for construction.
The demand for biomass will increase in the future. At the same time, the sustainable potential available worldwide is limited. It is therefore all the more important to establish strategic principles for sustainable biomass production and use in order to set more incentives and targets for sustainable use of biomass.
Source: bioenergy-news.com
