WBA: Solid biomass is the cornerstone of the future carbon neutral energy portfolio
WBA's, World Bioenergy Association, response to declaration "Large scale bioenergy must be excluded from the renewable energy definition". To comply with the Paris climate agreement, Europe and USA should go for more biomass.
The recent declaration of the US lead NGOs to stop EU to support Bioenergy is a dangerous threat to the global development of bioenergy, a crucial part of the future renewable energy scenario. If the decision makers follow this advice, a climate disaster in this century is imminent.
WBA addresses decision makers in the USA and Europe: Increase sustainable biomass use, introduce carbon taxes on fossil fuel emissions and reject arguments that ignore the basics of the natural carbon cycle. As the President of WBA, Dr Heinz Kopetz puts it: Follow the experience of leading countries in climate mitigation policy. They prove: Solid Biomass is the cornerstone of a future carbon neutral energy portfolio.
Biomass is carbon neutral
The use of forest biomass is carbon neutral. The carbon contained in wood originates from the atmosphere and is released to the atmosphere: either by microbiological decay, forest fires or by its use for energy purposes. Trees like any other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and store the carbon mainly in the form of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. This process is powered by solar energy. If humans do not use plants but leave them in nature, microorganisms eventually convert the major part of the plants to carbon dioxide and water. The carbon in the growing biomass is part of the natural carbon cycle.