Bio-based chemicals have the potential to partly replace fossil fuels in applications like fertilisers and plastics, but the transition will take decades and there are still big challenges ahead to scale up production without harming the environment, scientists say.
Banks and financial institutions see investment in scaling up bio-based technologies as “non-bankable” despite these initiatives offering clear paths to reaching government-set environment and climate targets. What’s going wrong?
While the European Commission is in the process of updating the EU's new bioeconomy strategy, Eastern European countries are calling for more deployment of this technology on their territory to close the gap with Western Europe.
Businesses remain sceptical that a new EU certification framework for carbon removals is sufficient to generate a self-sustaining market, arguing Brussels must do more to make removing carbon from the atmosphere financially attractive.
Environmental groups are taking the UK government to court on Monday (13 November) over plans to spend billions on Biomass with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), a technology aimed at removing CO2 from the atmosphere that is also being promoted by the European Union.
In a show of diplomatic strength, the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland have invited EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to visit their country's forests and refrain from overburdening the sector ahead of an election year.
Spain will double its 2030 biogas production target and almost triple its green hydrogen goal as part of a broad upgrade of its energy and climate ambitions, a draft of the government's strategy showed on Wednesday (28 June).
The EU's biomass sustainability rules will apply more loosely in overseas territories like French Guiana to promote economic development there, but the exception inserted in the bloc's Renewable Energy Directive will lead to increased deforestation, environmentalists say.
The EU’s proposed nature restoration law is the subject of hot debates. While forest owners worry about the impact on jobs and the economy, activists outline the positive externalities for health and the environment.
The European Commission made an unsuccessful attempt to bridge divisions over forest biomass between the Parliament and EU countries during talks held earlier this week to revise the EU’s renewable energy directive.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has acknowledged “weaknesses” in how biomass energy is counted in national statistics after several EU countries reported a sudden increase in residential wood burning to meet their 2020 renewable energy goals.
The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (14 December) in favour of faster approval deadlines for new renewable energy installations, paving the way for talks with EU member states to finalise the law next year.
European Parliament plans to exclude some types of primary wood from the EU's renewable energy goals is causing jitters among the industry, which points to bioenergy as an essential part of the EU's energy security.
Over 45,000 families in North Macedonia are at risk of being left without heating after the government decided to cap pellet prices at €6.50, a price which wholesalers have refused to sell at.
The European Parliament and EU member states reached agreement late on Thursday (10 November) on a new law regulating the contribution of the forestry and land use sector to the EU’s 2030 climate goals.
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.
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.
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).
