Biomass Energy Never Carbon Neutral
-by Karen Orr, Energy Justice Network
Biomass energy is not carbon neutral and never will be.
For years scientific studies have shown that biomass energy isn’t carbon neutral in any useful time frame. A 2012 study from Norway demonstrates that logging forests for bio-energy leads to a permanent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Expansion of industrial scale biomass energy will exacerbate climate change.
Fueling biomass operations adds carbon to the atmosphere at the smokestack. Increased biomass removals escalates stress to forests and soils and reduces long term growth rates, thus also adding to atmospheric carbon levels by absorbing less.
Biomass incineration is not clean, sustainable, renewable, cost effective, healthy or ecologically sound. We must stop burning and let forests expand to clean up the mess we’ve made of our air and atmosphere.
Scientific studies on biomass and global warming are available at http://www.energyjusticenetwork.org/content/biomass-library-scientific-reports
