About: bioenergy
Germany lobbies EU to suspend crop rotation rules
German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir is lobbying the European Commission to postpone a new regulation on crop rotation so that farmers can grow more wheat in view of the war in Ukraine. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The false promise that burning forest wood can replace Russian fossil fuels
Using forest wood to replace Russian fossil fuel imports would not only be disastrous for the environment, it would also not be a credible energy alternative, writes Karl Wagner.
Campaigners begin legal fight against EU taxonomy’s bioenergy rules
Climate campaigners have started the process of a legal challenge against the European Union over the labelling of investments in bioenergy and bio-based plastics and chemicals as green in its flagship sustainable finance rulebook.OpinionPromoted content
Bioenergy today, Bioenergy tomorrow.
A stable, flexible policy framework with a vision to facilitate investment and stimulate innovation will unleash bioenergy’s full potential as a flexible contributor towards climate neutrality that offers meaningful job creation and economic growth.
‘Too early’ to revise Europe’s bioenergy rules, EU countries say
A coalition of 10 EU member states, led by Sweden, have written to the French EU Council Presidency and the European Commission to warn against the planned revision of sustainability criteria for bioenergy, saying it is too early to do so.OpinionPromoted content
Bioenergy Sustainability Review: Untie our feet so we can run a good race
The current Bioenergy Sustainability Policy review needs to ensure clear and workable definitions, a risk-based approach, adequate time and the right level of regulatory certainty if the bioenergy sector is to successfully operationalise the resulting requirements.
Finland set to reject EU taxonomy rules over biomass
Finland has come out against the EU's draft “Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act” saying the proposed classification of biomass under the EU's green finance rules goes against the country's national interest.OpinionPromoted content
Why carbon capture is key to limiting climate change
The UN says reducing emissions isn’t enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change – Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) will need to be part of the solution.
‘Enough with the burning’: EU executive accused of sacrificing forests
The European Commission has been accused of “sacrificing forests” after it published proposals that would allow trees to continue to be burned for fuel. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
Europe fiddles while forests burn
The European Commission's approach to using forest wood for energy could prove a faux pas ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit in November, a dangerous move which contradicts the findings of the EU executive's own research department, writes Peg Putt.
How the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive risks destroying Europe’s forests
If the Europe Union doesn’t want an explosion in the amount of wood being harvested for “renewable heat”, it’s essential that the bugs in the Renewable Energy Directive are fixed, write Samuel Thomas, Dominic Scott and Dr Jan Rosenow.
We can’t burn our way out of the climate crisis
In its new Net Zero scenario, the International Energy Agency (IEA) maps a 60% increase in bioenergy by 2050. But Swapping burning wood for burning coal won’t save the climate, warns Peg Putt.
IEA criticised over growing share of bioenergy in net-zero scenario
The International Energy Agency (IEA) published a new energy scenario on Tuesday (18 May), modelling for the first time how the world can achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5ºC.
Brussels rebuked over ‘confusing’ draft EU bioenergy rules
The European Commission was sent back to the drawing board on the EU's renewable energy directive overhaul after an internal assessment of its draft proposal concluded that it failed to analyse the potential environmental risks of increased bioenergy use.
LEAK: EU’s draft renewables law confirms 38-40% target for 2030
An early draft of the EU’s upcoming renewable energy directive confirms the bloc’s objective of sourcing 38-40% of its energy from renewables by 2030, roughly doubling the share of solar, wind and other renewables in Europe’s energy mix by the end of the decade.
NGOs walk out on EU green finance group over forestry, bioenergy rules
The WWF and several other NGOs have decided to suspend their participation in the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Platform in protest against what they see as weak and “unscientific” criteria for bioenergy and forestry in the EU’s green finance taxonomy.
LEAK: EU taxonomy draft leaves bioenergy and forestry off the hook
The European Commission has decided to leave out agriculture but kept controversial criteria for bioenergy and forestry in the first batch of proposed implementing rules due to be presented on Wednesday (21 April) as part of the EU’s green finance taxonomy, EURACTIV has learned.OpinionPromoted content
Carbon capture: one technology for many routes to net-zero
Uniquely placed to cut emissions in many sectors − and enable greater use of renewables − carbon capture and storage (CCS) needs more political backing if we are to stand any chance of reaching net-zero emissions. Kenji Terasawa is the...
‘Win-win or lose-lose’: EU scientists highlight two-faced bioenergy policies
Around 14% of bioenergy used in Europe is of unknown origin, according to an EU report, which highlights the need to improve the tracing of wood burned for electricity production.
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”.