About: agroforestry
Burning trees as climate mitigation: A resort to the Court
There is no debate that burning wood for energy emits more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than burning fossil fuels. Yet the EU's renewable energy directive continues to uphold that burning forest wood is "carbon neutral," write Jean-Pascal van Ypersele and Mary S. Booth.
EU dragged to court for backing forest biomass as ‘renewable energy’
A group of plaintiffs from Estonia, France, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the US are filing a lawsuit against the European Union on Monday (4 March) to challenge the inclusion of forest biomass in the bloc’s renewable energy directive.
Finnish agronomist: ‘We need climate-smart agriculture’
A lower carbon balance can be achieved by sequestering CO2 through plant growth, a notion that has a major influence on how Finland manages its forests and croplands, says Liisa Pietola. EURACTIV Germany spoke to the Finnish agronomist in an interview.
Paper, the forgotten forest destroyer
As the world awakes to the threat posed by palm oil and soy to our forests, it’s in danger of overlooking how paper and packaging drives industrial logging, mis-shapes millions of hectares of forest landscapes and creates monoculture plantations, writes Sini Eräjää.
The EU’s trade challenge
The international trading system is facing a crisis – but protectionism isn’t the biggest test EU leaders must deal with, writes Perrine Fournier.
Could EU-Indonesia free trade deal end palm oil conundrum?
As a new round of free trade negotiations between the European Union and Indonesia begins in Brussels, Perrine Fournier argues that improving forest governance should be central to any agreement.
Forests are crucial in salvaging the Paris goals – EU must lead the way
In addition to halting deforestation, the European Union must support efforts to allow forest regeneration and sequestering more carbon dioxide, write Heidi Hautala and Carlos Zorrinho.
US forests, sustainably managed, really can help Europe decarbonise
Campaigners have warned about the environmental dangers of bioenergy, saying burning wood is not low-carbon. However, forests can – and must – be managed in a sustainable way that maintains or even increases the carbon stock, writes Tony Juniper.
Europe’s climate strategy of burning wood for energy isn’t working
Opposition to the use of forest biomass for energy generation is going mainstream, writes Linde Zuidema, as evidence builds that wood is being burnt in large scale inefficient coal-fired power stations.
Making woody biomass truly sustainable
Biomass is only sustainable and renewable when sourced from responsibly managed forests that are growing, not from old growth, primary forest or protected biodiverse areas. And this should be independently verified, writes Dr Rebecca Heaton.
Decision time for EU forest and climate policy
Forests are uniquely linked to climate change because they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So why is the EU on the verge of following a disastrous path in a key area of climate policy? wonders Hanna Aho.
Need for a scientific basis of EU climate policy on forests
A group of scientists has sent an open letter to EU decision-makers, warning that a planned increase in harvesting levels for EU forests for bioenergy use risk having a negative impact on the climate.
Will the European Parliament take the high road on climate and forests?
Ahead of a European Parliament vote on land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), Hannah Aho explains how MEPs have both strengthened and weakened draft forest rules she says are essential in the fight against climate change.
Science-based forest policies urgently needed for effective climate action
There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to take effective climate action, and EU forest policies need to be more science-based to succeed, write Michael Norton and Jaana Bäck.
Primeval forest risks sparking new EU-Poland clash
The EU warned Poland on Thursday (27 April) it may take legal action to stop logging in a UNESCO World Heritage forest, risking a new clash with Warsaw's right-wing government.
What Finland doesn’t want you to know about its forests
Forests are considered the nation’s ‘green gold’ in Finland. But the government's new climate and energy strategy means their potential as a carbon sink will halve in the coming years, reducing the ability to use forests as a buffer against climate change, writes Satu Hassi.
Europe seeks to avoid ‘bickering’ over forestry emission cuts
A European Commission plan to share emissions reduction efforts in the forestry and agricultural sector across European countries is up for discussion for the first time on Monday (17 October).
How Nordic countries can inspire the EU’s bioenergy policy
The experience of sustainable forestry management in Sweden and the other Nordic countries could serve as an inspiration for the EU when it draws up sustainability criteria for biomass, write Pernilla Winnhed, Carina Håkansson and Gustav Melin.
Tony Simons: Agroforestry is a ‘win-win’ for developing nations
Agroforestry is a "back to the future" concept, advocating a return to the origins of farming —trees and fields— rather than the modern concept of huge monocultures, says Tony Simons.