By 2050, the EU forest sink will be halved if current management practices continue.
80% of EU forests with protected status are in an "unfavourable" or "bad" condition.
EU rules only require 36% of all trees burned for electricity to produce energy.
EU Member States spent €6.5 billion subsidising bioenergy in 2017.
It can take over 100 years for a forest to reabsorb carbon released from burning biomass.
An area larger than Greece (14.5 million hectares) is covered by plantations that are vulnerable to climate change and fires.
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But there is hope for forests! Keep scrolling...
But there is hope for forests!
By 2050, EU forests could be absorbing three times more CO2.
By restoring EU forests to their former health, by 2050 we could triple the amount of carbon dioxide they remove each year.
We must protect and restore our European forests; they are a key part of our heritage, are natural carbon sinks and can harbour rich biodiversity for generations to come. EU policies and financial mechanisms should support natural forests, not intensively logged monocultures and plantations.
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/strategies/progress/docs/com_2019_559_en.pdf
https://www.eea.europa.eu/soer-2015/europe/forests#note10
https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/gdj3.45
http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A702580&dswid=4749
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/105/the-european-union-and-forests
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/burnout-eu-clean-energy-policies-forest-destruction-ip.pdf
Categorias: Briefing Notes, Bioenergy