Biomass Archives

The European Union is losing its forest carbon sink at an alarming rate, with harvesting for biomass fuel a key driver behind the loss, according to new research released on Monday (7 November).

Lawmakers should boost much-needed green fuel production by inserting obligatory targets for biofuels derived from agricultural and forestry waste into the EU's upcoming green jet fuel law, the biofuels industry has told the European Commission.

Advanced biofuels made from waste products do not impact land use, making them an ideal means to decarbonise the current vehicle fleet, as well as transport modes unsuited to electrification, writes Nicholas Ball.

Over 550 scientists have signed a letter to the European Commission, alerting them of the deteriorating state of European forests and calling for climate-smart forestry practices – including wood harvesting for bioenergy – to bolster their resilience to global warming.

With the energy crisis hitting the wallets of consumers and driving up inflation, the European Union is turning to biomass among a range of alternatives to replace Russian gas imports.

Growing demand for biomass is putting pressure on industry to deliver sufficient quantities without destroying the environment, the European Commission has warned, pointing to a looming "availability gap" which could be as big as 40-70% by 2050.

The European Union is investing billions of euros in biorefineries that can develop products based on organic materials and help decrease the bloc's reliance on oil and gas.

Demand for biomass is only expected to grow in the coming decade, be it for bio-materials or bioenergy, while there is only so much biomass that can be produced sustainably, says John Bell, who points to a looming "availability gap".

Despite high demand for biogas, few new production facilities have been built in Germany, according to the country’s biogas industry which cites legal barriers. Campaigners, however, warn against deregulating production.

The German government published the framework for its biomass strategy, which aims to solve the conflict between biomass use versus electrification, guarantee food security and set standards for strategies in other EU countries.

The number of workers in the renewable energy sector across the world has grown from 12 million in 2020 to 12.7 million in 2021, according to a report published today (22 September) by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (14 September) to limit the amount of primary biomass that can be burned in power plants, raising concern among the bioenergy industry, which labelled the move “counterproductive” in the current energy crisis. 

Lawmakers voted Wednesday (14 September) to increase the EU's transport emissions reduction target from 13% to 16% by 2030, in a move spurred largely by the urgent political need to break Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

The three largest political groups in the European Parliament have backed proposals to end subsidies for biomass used in power plants and exclude primary wood burning from the EU’s renewable energy targets.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament are considering adding a biomethane mandate to the Renewable Energy Directive, a move aimed at weaning Europe off of imported fossil fuels. But in doing so they risk repeating past mistakes, argues Chelsea Baldino.

MEPs on the environment (ENVI) committee have taken a brave and principled stand by calling for an end to forest biomass counting toward renewable energy targets; for the sake of our forests, nature, and a livable climate, the rest of the European Parliament must join them, write Michal Wiezik and Zoltan Kun.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament’s industry committee voted Wednesday (13 July) to more than double the 2030 target for fuels produced from green electricity in the transport sector, a move aimed at bolstering the fledgling electro-fuels market.

The European Union could "triple" the amount of biomass produced on a sustainable basis over the coming decades while helping restore land degraded by industrial pollution, poor agriculture, erosion and climate change, says André Faaij.