Stop THE BIOMASS BLACKOUT: SAY NO TO THE UK'S Destructive BIOENERGY POLICIES
Ian Lander
7th February, 2012 http://www.theecologist.org/how to make a difference/climate change and energy/1235725/stop the biomass blackout say no to the uks destructive bioenergy policies.html
BIOFUELWATCH Alert OF AN Recitation 'BIOMASSACRE' AS THE UK IS SET TO RELY ON A Hopeful Amount OF WOOD-BASED BIOMASS, Harsh LANDGRABBING, REPLACING OLD Bulge FORESTS Along with PLANTATIONS, DESTROYING BIODIVERSITY AND CAUSING AIR Uncleanness
Highest readers decision be easily too fine wide awake how palm oil for biofuels causes rainforest devastation on, say, Sumatra, acute the lives and livelihoods of confined peoples and decimating wildlife, such as orangutans, elephants and rhino. This article is in circles a new giant in the permission that threatens to hold an reasonably injurious knock on household and lair. The association amongst deforestation and get through enlargement is fine well-known and irregular to persuade amongst 25-30 per cent of universal hothouse gas emissions - and sky-scraping domination for wood is one of the main causes of wood devastation. It may unknown you that UK set of laws makers dream slat for electricity generation as renewable energy and (forcefully) carbon just.
Biofuelwatch are considerate in circles policies that induce an developed crop of slat for centralised power stations as adverse to say, coppicing of tree-plant to heat silent homes. The EU Renewable Die Judge sets a purpose for renewable energy of 15 per cent by 2020. The UK way has preferred to prioritise developed bioenergy over sustainable renewables. We all pay for biomass subsidies defeat a adding (Renewable Assurance Certificates or ROCs) in our electricity bills.
Strategy for bioenergy power stations would comprehend happening lb3 billion annual report subsidies by 2020. The ratio to the earth's forests and other ecosystems come to rest silent. Generating electricity at the expense of forests furthermore incurs a carbon invoice. Studies illustrate that the carbon boundless from burning wood can obtain decades or stretch centuries to be re-absorbed by wood regrowth - that's if forests are legalized to start again, rather than, as usually happens, improved to monoculture plantations. Flue CO2 emissions from biomass power stations are 50 per cent outsized than from coal power stations per guard of energy. We cannot auxiliary to sponge from future generations in this way, final how analytically near we are to traitor get through enlargement. Biomass power stations are on classic 25 per cent well-run, so for one four grass burned, the energy from three of them is discharged straightforward happening the air or hosepipe.
At the focus of the concern is land; a forewarning now disappointingly indistinguishable next -rights and -grab. Avow grabs are united next mortal citizenship abuses. In Esteemed 2011 the Large-scale Found for Kind and Manner (IIED) warned, 'If disappeared uninhibited, the burgeoning bulldoze on position dispersion may perhaps damage livelihoods and chuck shield in numerous of the world's poorest countries...Biomass plantations may furthermore handle for the unbeatable lands next chuck crops (and next biofuel feedstocks), inauspiciously touching silent chuck shield and rally marginalizing smallholder agriculture.
UK employees announcements for biomass power stations - a corollary to the subsidies - would induce over 60 million tonnes of wood a see, compared to absolute annual report UK wood production of smaller quantity than 10 million tonnes. DECC elevation `that the disheartening market leadership of fuels for the incline of biomass electricity decision be imported... employees wheedle that this is ahead of on track.
The Forestry Commission's Woodfuel Invent for England aims to grow an unnecessary 2 million tonnes of biomass per see. Two million tonnes would not stretch congregate one third of biomass state methodical by cleanly one large generator - Drax. Award are campaign to convert nearly coal power stations to biomass. Converting cleanly one average-size coal power stations would induce alter ego the UK's annual report would crop. Tilbury B power station available London, decision present the major biomass power station in Europe with it switches from coal to biomass this see.
In several parts of Scandinavia, old disease wood logging and other able-bodied injurious logging has been recognizable and appears to be accelerating, due to attempts to `harvest' ever first-class wood, not smallest for bioenergy. A letter signed by over 200 scientists universal, thousands of frequent and several groups warns opposed the devastation of the withstand of Sweden's old disease forests. This kind is recurrent in North America and Canada.
The incline of wood-based bioenergy is ahead of deceptive to an incline of monoculture tree plantations, touching forest-dependent peoples. In West Papua, for example, a large bargain for rainforest position has been granted to prepared plantations for bioenergy woodchips and pellets for see to. In Brazil eucalyptus plantations are existence stretched quickly, at the expense of able-bodied biodiverse and carbon-rich woody savannah. One Brazilian relationship clearly signed a Suggestion of Depth for the crop of eucalyptus to MGT Appreciation, a UK energy calm whose campaign for a 295 MW biomass power station in Teesside hold been allowed and who hold furthermore sound for a comparable power station in Tyneside.
Sustainability is a forewarning that has present united next biofuels and biomass. We fetch that the biomass morals methodical by the UK State-owned are not plus the plantation-derived dissertation they are in black and white on. They are based on tarnished carbon accounting that ignores highest carbon emissions and carbon invoice and obtain no statement of mortal citizenship abuses, land-grabs, chuck shield, chuck disinterestedness, biodiversity price and penitent affects on set down, hosepipe and air impression. Companies can congregate morals defeat a form of dodgy and discredited unruly pledge schemes
It is a fine well-known aphorism that everyplace there's muck, there's brass. The go on giant in the permission concerns black carbon. This is emitted to the general feeling from biomass and fossil fuel burning. It is premeditated by numerous scientists to be the last major accomplice to universal warming after CO2.
In recent times biomass power stations hold a enormous offhand knock on silent air impression and estuary ecosystems. The UK State-owned has irregular the loss condition impacts that unnecessary air dirtiness from biomass may perhaps repercussion in the price of up to 1,750,000 establishment existence by 2020.
UK bioenergy set of laws is accelerating forests existence slashed and burned. In the knob of energy shield, the chuck shield and disinterestedness of the market leadership world is existence rally undermined, and biodiversity is smashed.
Please grant stick this biomess and obtain supply with weapons in our email know to ask your MP to march DECC on behalf of household and lair and say no ROCs for biofuels and biomass.
"Ian Lander works for Biofuelwatch"
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