New evidence shows some bioenergy could be causing increases in emissions By Matt Williams, Policy Officer at the RSPB. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the wildlife we care about and the special places where it lives, and it is already affecting species across Europe, including in
It’s a Burning Issue! Bioenergy’s promise was to be renewable, clean energy from organic matter that keeps on growing, an alternative to fossil fuels. But it has also turned into land grabs, increases in food prices, forest destruction and a waste of public money. As research and science have started
Industry and NGOs in historic alliance over biomass concerns By Kenneth Richter, Consultant for the Natural Resources Defense Council. In a historic link-up, wood-using industries and environmental NGOs on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have jointly written to UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark
A Dirty Day for the Commission’s Clean Dream By Sini Eräjää, EU Bioenergy Policy Officer, Birdlife Europe and Central Asia and the European Environmental Bureau. The Commission’s Clean Energy package, launched today, proudly boasts of finally introducing sustainability requirements for all forms of bioenergy – something many NGOs have been
New publication: the Black Book of Bioenergy We’re excited to announce that on 22 November, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, in collaboration with Transport & Environment, launched our new joint publication: The Black Book of Bioenergy. Following extensive on-the-ground investigation, and after consulting an array of local sources, we have collected
Leaked Renewable Energy Directive fails the test on bioenergy By Sini Eräjää, EU Bioenergy Policy Officer, Birdlife Europe and Central Asia and the European Environmental Bureau. Negotiations in the European Commission about new legislation on renewable energy are gearing up. Leaks of the negotiated text earlier this week in the
When it comes to the sustainability of Europe’s bioenergy use, the scale of it is absolutely crucial. There are sustainable biomass sources that we can and should use for energy, but there’s only a limited amount of them available.
At the end of October, a group of European NGOs wrote to the Commission to highlight their recommendations for an ambitious sustainable low carbon transport fuels policy after 2020. A new Commission proposal to revise the current Renewable Energy Directive is expected before the end of the year and several options are on the table.
A political debate about where renewable energy is heading post-2020 has started, so it’s not a coincidence that the biofuels industry is pulling out some big guns to extol its merits. The Réseau Action Climat (RAC), France nature environnement; the Fédération nationale d’agriculture biologique; Oxfam France and La Confédération paysanne, have just fired back with some weapons of their own.
Have you ever wondered what makes real Belgian speculoos so special? The secret is molasses, a sweet, dark brown syrup, used not only for Sunday pancakes but also in many food (BBC recipes here) and feed products.
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