News

30.01.2018

Increasing bioenergy use endangers forests

The proposed recast of the EU’s renewable energies directive stands to damage the world's forests with minimal or even negative benefits for climate protection. This is the result of an analysis published by the Federal Environment Agency in Germany on 4 January 2018.

By increasing the share of biomass to 27 percent of renewable energies by 2030, the recast would fuel the cutting down of trees for bioenergy. This policy fails to consider the resulting damage to forests. The methods used to calculate CO2 emissions from tree-based biomass is also flawed: contrary to the current underlying assumption, not all bioenergy is CO2 neutral when burned.

Many agree that a far more sustainable strategy for protecting the climate and forests is to use wood for as long as possible by cascading its use. With the SpeicherWald project in Germany, Climate Alliance is demonstrating the important role that unmanaged forests play for the climate and biological diversity.

Further information (in German)