How sustainable is Scandinavian biomass?
31 janvier 2013
By 2020, bioenergy will account for more than 10 per cent of total energy consumption in the EU. Scandinavian forests will be a significant source of biomass for energy, but intensified harvesting could substantially harm biodiversity and impact on the climate.
On 30 January, Satu Hassi MEP (Greens/EFA), EEB, BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth and FERN organised an event in the European Parliament on sustainability of Scandinavian biomass.
The event included presentations from Professor Bengt Gunnar Jonsson (Mid Sweden University), Jonas Rudberg (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) and Anna Repo(Finnish Environment Institute).
Panellists were Olof Johansson (Sveaskog), Hans Van Steen (European Commission, DG Energy), Petteri Kuuva (Ministry of Employment and Economy, Finland), Sini Eräjää (Finnish Association for Nature Conservation) and Ariel Brunner (BirdLife Europe)
Arra Repo - Forest bioenergy and carbon sequestration
Olof Johansson - Sveaskog's analysis of bioenergy
Hans van Steen - Commission analysis on biomass sustainability
Petteri Kuuva - Sustainable forestry - sustainable bioenergy
Jonas Rudberg - Swedish bioenergy, a success story
Bengt Gunnar Jonsson - Perspectives on current forests utilisation and its biodiversity impact
Further information:
NGO briefing on biomass
Report from FANC “Felling the golden goose. The sustainable limits of Finland’s biomass ambitions”
Report from SSNC “Credibility at stake”