Urban biowaste, a sustainable source of bioenergy? By guest author Mariel Vilella, Associate Director/Climate, Energy and Air Pollution Programme, Zero Waste Europe Although most bioenergy is produced by burning agricultural and forestry biomass, it is also generated by burning the organic parts of municipal solid waste, biowaste or urban biomass. This
Honeymoon is over for biomass in Flanders By guest author Sara Van Dyck, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Belgium Looks like the biomass honeymoon is over as the skyrocketing price tag of large biomass plants has led to a U-turn in Flemish renewable energy policy. The Flemish government has just cancelled the
Biofuels, doesn’t look like France is learning from mistakes By guest author Camille Dorioz, Chargé de mission agriculture, FNE and Cyrielle Denhartigh, Responsible at Agriculture et Alimentation, RAC France can be viewed as the nerve center of European biofuels production. Thanks to lobbying by the national agricultural sector and agroindustry, biofuels only
Corn mania, the absurd hunger for bioenergy in Germany By guest author Dr. Uwe Baumert, expert for renewable energies, Regional Deputy Chairman, NABU-Lower Saxony One can see that landscapes have been changing in Germany as wild herbs, cows and insects disappear, especially across grasslands. Why? It’s because of “corn-mania” or
‘Threatened forests’ the hidden truth behind EU ‘green energy’ The film ‘Threatened forests’ reveals the hidden truth behind “green energy” in the EU. It’s being shown on EUBioenergy.com right now, a moment when the European Commission is consulting stakeholders on sustainable bioenergy policy. Filmmaker Benoit Grimont made this documentary because he
The EU climate debate: No sector left behind By Trees Robijns, Senior EU Agriculture and Bioenergy Policy Officer, BirdLife Europe The industrial farming sector, and ministers enthralled to it, are attempting to give farming a free ride on climate policy. Allowing them to get away with it means sabotaging the
Europe and the US can share some lessons about bioenergy By Sini Eräjää, Policy Officer EU Bioenergy, Birdlife Europe and the European Environmental Bureau As our fact-finding mission in the US to witness firsthand the origins and impacts of bioenergy being supplied to the EU came to an end, we
Biofuels – a story without a happy end By Ariel Brunner and Trees Robijns, BirdLife Europe – partially based on the analysis of the Commission’s Globiom study carried out by Transport & Environment (T&E) Biofuels have been promoted in Europe since the early 2000s. In the beginning, they were touted as a
It’s crunch time for the EU’s new bioenergy policy By Sini Eräjää, Policy Officer EU Bioenergy, Birdlife Europe and the European Environmental Bureau After many years of contemplation, the moment for the EU to decide on how to regulate bioenergy use is approaching. Today, the Commission is closing a public
Biodiesel: a cure worse than the fossil disease By Lisa Benedetti, BirdLife Europe Biodiesel is the most consumed biofuel in Europe. It is projected to make up almost 70% of the EU biofuels market by 2020. This dependence poses some questions, so the European Commission is now considering what its
Subscribe to BirdLife Europe & Central Asia Newsletter and keep informed about our work on bioenergy and nature conservation.