Stop subsidising the tree-burning industry: EU Commission study confirms bioenergy is risky for climate and biodiversity As you read this article, trees and crops are being burned for energy in the name of climate action. You see, under EU law, “bioenergy” is supported as if it was a green, zero-carbon form of energy, which means […]
Burning trees is not a climate solution #StopFakeRenewables When you hear the word ‘renewables’ you probably think of solar panels and wind turbines. Clean, carbon-free energy derived from the forces of nature. The truth is that in Europe, more than half of what we call ‘renewable energy’ actually comes from burning wood and crops. This […]
NGOs call on the EU Commission to end support for burning trees and crops for energy in the Green New Deal. For many years, EU policies have encouraged the burning of types of bioenergy that increase emissions compared to fossil fuels. Member States are subsidising this harmful industry to the tune of billions of euros […]
EU Audit shows agriculture and forestry policy not strong enough to fight climate crisis EU Court of Auditors says agriculture and forestry sectors need to improve EU GHG emissions reporting Greater action and stronger policy is needed in order to meet GHG emission targets The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Europe’s most expensive and controversial policy, […]
Fighting deforestation: Efforts to enforce the EU Delegated Act on Biofuels begin to take traction By Luke Edwards, Climate Change and Land Use Policy Officer at BirdLife Europe & Central Asia A landmark decision in February 2019 saw the European Commission produce a delegated act regarding the use of biofuel feedstocks which cause deforestation or have […]
By Kenneth Richter, Bioenergy consultant at BirdLife Europe & Central Asia Over 100 organisations from across the globe have published a joint declaration calling on governments, financiers, companies and civil society to halt the expansion of the biomass-based energy industry and to move away from its use. Bioenergy (energy from the burning of biological materials, mostly […]
By Kenneth Richter, Bioenergy consultant at BirdLife Europe & Central Asia The Gas and Climate consortium (consortium of gas distribution companies and biogas associations arguing for more pipelines) has called on the EU to introduce a mandatory target of 10% renewable gas by 2030. It would seem astonishing to think that anybody would want a repeat […]
By Kenneth Richter, Bioenergy consultant at BirdLife Europe & Central Asia At 4:00am on June 14 exhausted negotiators of the EU Parliament and European Council agreed on a new framework for renewable energy – the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) – for the time between 2020 and 2030. Despite best efforts by the Parliament (credit to negotiator […]
By Sasha Stashwick, senior advocate with the Climate & Clean Energy program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Kenneth Richter, Bioenergy consultant at BirdLife Europe & Central Asia and NRDC. While Donald Trump has mocked the reality of climate change, EU leaders like to think of Europe as a global front-runner in reducing […]
By Adam Colette, Program Director at Dogwood Alliance. Over the past several months, the European Union has spent huge amounts of time debating the impacts the bioenergy industry. Parliamentarians have heard loud and clear from their colleagues, scientists and civil society that burning forests for fuel is bad for our climate, forests, and communities. Yet, […]