New briefing from Griffith University in #Australia argues that a major shift to using forest #biomass burning for energy comes with grave risks of highly perverse outcomes, including increased CO2 emissions and negative impacts on forest integrity. research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/4… 
A rethink of the role of forest #biomass burning for energy in national decarbonization policy is therefore urgently needed. Forest #biomass is not clean energy because burning it releases CO2 emissions and so does not contribute to a decarbonization pathway.
The emissions from burning forest #biomass are instantaneous, but their removals from the atmosphere are not and take a long time. This means there is a significant time lag between when carbon is emitted and when it is removed and stored.
The accounting and reporting of net emissions from LULUCF Forest Land provides a false view that the
forest industry is “carbon negative” and do not make transparent the gross emissions from #logging.
forest industry is “carbon negative” and do not make transparent the gross emissions from #logging.
There is no reason to assume a power facility using biomass as a feedstock would displace coal generation elsewhere.
It is more likely that total energy generation will simply continue to rise and/or displace clean energy sources.
It is more likely that total energy generation will simply continue to rise and/or displace clean energy sources.
From an ecological perspective, there is no such thing as “residue” biomass in a forest #ecosystem. Many studies show the negative impacts of intensification of logging on #biodiversity including loss of habitat resources for threatened species. #ForestDebrisMatters
A rethink of the role of forest biomass burning for energy in national decarbonization policy is required. A global ban on using forest #biomass for industrial scale #bioenergy is urgently needed given its negative
effects on climate mitigation and forest #ecosystem integrity.
effects on climate mitigation and forest #ecosystem integrity.
See the briefing here: research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/hand…
And a recent op-ed ~ "Proponents of biomass burning say that they are cleaning up the debris left on the ground after logging operations. What is left unsaid is that this debris would not be created if native #forests were not logged in the first place." canberratimes.com.au/story/7870633/…
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