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Bioenergy: Presentations

Presentations from event "Carbon emissions from bioenergy - how it impacts our climate"

Bioenergy will account for over 10 per cent of total energy consumption in the EU by 2020.

On 29 March, Linda McAvan MEP (S&D), Fiona Hall MEP (ALDE), Bas Eickhout MEP (Greens/EFA), BirdLife, FERN and the European Environmental Bureau organised an event in the European Parliament which discussed sustainability issues linked to biomass for energy and the impact on the climate, for 2020 and beyond.

The event included presentations from Neil Bird (Joanneum Research), David Carr (Southern Environmental Law Center, US) and Detlef Sprinz (Chairman Scientific Committee, European Environment Agency).

Further information:

  • NGO briefing on biomass
  • Opinion of the EEA Scientific Committee on Greenhouse Gas Accounting in Relation to Bioenergy
  • Study from the Biomass Energy Resource Center, the Forest Guild and the Spatial Informatics Group on "Biomass Supply and Carbon Accounting for Southeastern Forests"
  • Searchinger et al., Fixing a critical carbon accounting error; (Science, October 2009)
  • Haberl et al., Correcting a fundamental error in greenhouse gas accounting related to bioenergy; (Energy policy, February 2012)

Media:

  • BirdLife, EEB and FERN media release
  • Euractiv article "Biomass 'insanity' may threaten EU carbon targets" – published 2 April 2012

Presentations from "Biomass and resource efficiency: The need for a supply-led approach to forest productivity"

“Measures are needed to ensure use of forest products is not guided by unregulated demand, but by what forests can sustainably supply,” this was one of the conclusions of the "Biomass and Resource Efficiency" event attended by more than 70 people at the European Parliament. It was organised by FERN, ClientEarth, the Greens and Grupo PPE.

The three attached presentations come from Marcus Lindner, looking at European Forests and the EUWood study, Sten Nillson looking at the global situation and Joost Van de Velde, looking at wider global trends.

Bas Eickhout MEP, concluded the event by stating that "Sustainability criteria for bioenergy are crucialThat does not mean we should support low and unambitious criteria.  If the criteria turn out to be very weakwe have to vote against and demand a stronger proposal. I therefore urge the Commission to put a proposal on the table that properly addresses the carbon debt of biomass."

 

FERN meeting on Bioenergy - 19 and 20 November 2008

  • The potential role of biomass in the EU (Veerle Dossche - FERN)
  • Wood as energetic biomass - threats and opportunities (Zdenek Postulka - Hnuti Duha)
  • Cooling the planet with biomass (Deepak Rughani - Biofuelwatch)
  • Overview of Forestry Measures in Rural Development (Joost Vandevelde - DG Environment)
  • Bioenergy in Cohesion Policy (Beth Masterson & Mathieu Fichter - DG Regio)