About: bioenergy
Denmark proposes pathway for ‘sustainable’ biomass
The Danish government and a majority coalition of eight parties have proposed stricter legal requirements for wood biomass, used for heat and electricity in the country.
EU climate plan blows hot and cold on forestry, biomass
While recognising the positive role of forests in mitigating global warming, the European Commission has riled the agroforestry and biomass industries by stating its intention of limiting growth in the sector.
How the EU could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on climate
The European Commission's commendable move to aim for emission reductions of "at least 55%" by 2030 risks being completely undermined if the target also takes into account “reductions and removals” from forest growth and tree planting schemes, warns Bert Metz.
Scientists call on EU to ‘correct’ biomass carbon accounting rules
Europe's academies of science have called on EU lawmakers to introduce a “radically new standard” in the bloc's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to ensure net carbon emissions from biomass power stations are “properly accounted for and declared”.
The Dutch have decided: Burning biomass is not sustainable
The Netherlands should phase out the use of biomass for generating electricity as soon as possible, the advisory board of the Dutch government said in a report presented earlier this month.
‘Not all biomass is carbon neutral’, industry says
Leading industry figures acknowledge that not all biomass brings benefits to the climate, insisting that only low-value wood and forest residues should make the cut under EU law.
EU plans sweeping bioenergy review by end 2020
The European Commission intends to push a “transformative approach” to all forms of bioenergy – including biofuels and woody biomass – as part of a biodiversity strategy due to be unveiled on Wednesday (20 May).
Sweden’s forest crimes
Sweden presents itself as a global torchbearer on the environment, but its forest policy is wreaking havoc. The EU must act to stop it, say five European NGOs.
Bioeconomy in the CAP’s nine objectives
Bioeconomy will play a crucial role in delivering the European Union's environmental and climate neutrality agenda. The farm sector is no exception and at least half of the nine objectives of the post-2020 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) relate directly to this concept.
MEP: Clean technology mix needed to decarbonise transport
Decarbonising transport is an enormous challenge and there will be a need to deploy a mix of clean technologies to accelerate the transition to a sustainable system, MEP Seán Kelly told EURACTIV.com.
Bioenergy, forestry sectors jump on EU’s green finance bandwagon
Bioenergies, including wood, biofuels and forest-based industries, should be recognised under the EU’s draft sustainable finance taxonomy, in line with the recently-updated renewable energy directive, an industry coalition has claimed.
Solar CEO: ‘Heating electrification is one of the biggest mistakes of the energy transition’
Wind and solar photovoltaic are way too small to cope with Europe's massive demand for heating, especially in winter, says Christian Holter who calls for allocating scarce renewable energy resources to economic sectors where they can bring the most in terms of carbon reduction.
EU hits pause on helping farmers fight climate change
The farming sector is often blasted for its contribution to climate change. But it also has unique potential to capture and store carbon, write Imke Lübbeke and Andreas Baumüller.
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.
Researcher: 100% renewable energy requires ‘a lot of green hydrogen’
The production of so-called green hydrogen from wind and solar electricity is seen as a potential game-changer for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system. But getting there will take some time and some intermediary solutions will be needed, says Daan Peters.
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.
CO2 removals ‘increasingly necessary’ to avoid climate disaster, scientists warn
The failure to reverse growth in greenhouse gas emissions means the world is now increasingly dependent on unproven technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere in order to avert dangerous climate change, scientists warned on Tuesday (19 February).
IEA chief: Ethanol ‘very important’ to reduce oil dependence
Ethanol will have a very important role in decarbonising the transport sector globally, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) told EURACTIV.com. Another energy expert said electrification will play a major role in transport but is not applicable to all sectors, which is where biofuels come in.
‘Bad news’ and ‘despair’: Global carbon emissions to hit new record in 2018, IEA says
Global carbon emissions will rise to a new record level in 2018, making the chances of reaching a target to keep temperature increases to 1.5 or 2°C "weaker and weaker every year, every month," the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said.
EU bioeconomy strategy and IPCC – planets apart
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that biofuels will need to rise 260% by 2030 and 750% by 2050 in order to contain global warming below 1.5°C. Yet, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, published days after, seems to ignore this, writes James Cogan.
EU emphasises ‘ecological limitations’ of new bioeconomy plan
The European Commission unveiled a new bioeconomy strategy on Thursday (11 October), saying it could reduce the EU's dependence on fossil fuels while underlining the ecological limitations of Europe’s farming and forestry sector.
The inherent dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
As the European Commission considers its long-term strategy to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions, Julia Christian says they must reject an unproven and dangerous technology in favour of protecting and restoring natural forests.
RED II: Wood you believe Europe may turn its bio economy into ash?
State-supported funding schemes risk distorting raw material markets, pulling the plug on Europe’s bio economy ambitions, warns Sylvain Lhôte.