Palm oil, beef, cocoa, coffee, soy, and other agricultural products are responsible for deforestation in the producing countries. Of the 10m hectares of tropical forest lost each year, two-thirds can be unambiguously attributed to agricultural expansion and international trade is responsible for about half of this. The EC is due in December to unveil a legislative proposal to address the issue. Alain Karsenty and Nicolas Picard, writing for IFRI, … [Read more...]
Sustainably harvested Forest Biomass can help replace coal and gas
Burning sustainably harvested wood pellets emits far less carbon than burning coal or gas. That’s the main reason why it should be used in the global energy transition, argues Jennifer Jenkins at Enviva. Coal is declining, but not fast enough. Gas consumption is rising. Forest biomass can more easily be swapped in than wind and solar to provide dispatchable power. But it must be done sustainably. Referencing her white paper, Jenkins sets out the … [Read more...]
Changes to national targets and forestry mean EC’s 55% plan is weaker than it looks
The EC’s plan to reduce the bloc’s emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, instead of the previously agreed 40%, is very welcome but its implementation plan is flawed, says William Todts at Transport & Environment. The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) won’t be enough on its own. So the plan allows nations to include “managing” forests and “tree plantations”, a big change because forests were not part of previous emissions … [Read more...]
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