Reaction to EP vote on LULUCF – we’re not out of the woods yet!
By Gui Xi Young, Editor and Campaigns Officer at BirdLife Europe & Central Asia.
BirdLife Europe & Central Asia welcomes the European Parliament’s increased recognition of the important role that forests, land and ecosystems will have to play in order to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement – recognition that is clearly reflected by the intensive and prolonged negotiations over the Parliament’s position on the LULUCF regulation on the role of land and forests in the EU’s 2030 climate policy framework.
John Lanchbery, Principal Climate Change Advisor at RSPB: “The outcome of today’s vote in the Parliament did not improve the Commission’s proposal, but the final level of ambition is now in the hands of the Council. Countries defending transparent and honest accounting of forestry emissions like Germany, the UK and Italy need to stay firm with countries like Sweden, Finland and Austria that are actively trying to water down the credibility of LULUCF. Any compromises are likely to hide emissions from increased forest cutting and to undermine the whole EU’s position on climate change.”
The credibility of the EU’s renewable energy policy and bioenergy sustainability also depend on LULUCF, as the Commission’s Renewable Energy Directive proposal relies on the LULUCF sector to account for bioenergy emissions.
Sini Eräjää, EU Bioenergy Policy Officer, BirdLife Europe & Central Asia: “Harvesting of the EU’s forests is increasing in the name of the bioeconomy and bioenergy policies, with already 75 million cubic meters more wood cut every year for energy since the EU’s renewable energy policy. This lowers the capacity of our forests to store carbon. As the saying goes, “we’re not out of the woods yet” – as other EU institutions push the LULUCF proposal further in a direction that allows emissions from increased forest bioenergy use to go “missing in action”, the Commission’s approach to bioenergy emissions further loses ground and should be revisited.”
For further information, please contact:
Sini Eräjää, Birdlife Europe & Central Asia
+32 476 975 960
@sinierajaa
John Lanchbery, RSPB
+44 1 767 693275
Notes:
Briefing: What impact has Renewable Energy Directive had on EU forests? http://www.birdlife.org/sites/default/files/attachments/briefinglulucfjune2017_2.pdf
Briefing: Why LULUCF cannot ensure that bioenergy reduces emissions? http://www.birdlife.org/sites/default/files/fern_lulucf_briefing_paper.pdf#overlay-context=europe-and-central-asia/policy/bioenergy
Banner photo: © Pixabay
