Dutch scientists call for closure of coal plants By guest author Linde Zuidema, Bioenergy Campaigner, Fern With nearly a quarter of its land below sea level, the Netherlands has much to fear from climate change and rising sea levels. But Dutch scientists say it is the worst-performing country in Europe
An atlas of environmental justice conflicts By Nick Meynen, Project Officer, Global Policies and Sustainability Unit, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) Far from most eyes and ears, environmental collisions between industry and local communities are occurring around the world. The Atlas of Environmental Justice, created by a global coalition of academics
By Lisa Benedetti, BirdLife Europe
DRAX, UK – Up in Flames By guest author Fred Pearce, author and journalist – article from Fern’s report ‘Up in Flames’ Drax is one of Europe’s largest power stations. Its 12 giant cooling towers dominate the landscape of the Trent Valley in eastern England. It generates up to 4,000 megawatts
Last ditch climate option or wishful thinking? By guest author Almuth Ernsting, Biofuelwatch Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is increasingly promoted as a means of removing large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. It involves capturing CO2 from biomass-burning power stations or biofuel refineries and burying it underground. The concept
Romania – Up in Flames By guest author Fred Pearce, author and journalist – article from Fern’s report ‘Up in Flames’ Romania’s forests are being over-exploited to supply demand for biomass both within the country and across Europe. While the logging business remains dominated by the state company Romsilva, its markets are increasingly
Threatened Forests – interview with Director Benoît Grimont By Lisa Benedetti, BirdLife Europe Director Benoît Grimont gets personal about his experiences filming ‘Threatened Forests’, a documentary which charts the recent arrival of biomass power in France and how this industry treats wood as a seemingly endless supply of ‘renewable’ energy.
10 reasons why bioenergy is NOT carbon neutral, says IPCC author William Moomaw William Moomaw1, respected professor and lead IPCC author, wants to set the record straight. He spoke at the European Parliament last week to explain why bioenergy is not automatically carbon neutral and we are proud to present his
Gardanne, France – How biomass burning wrecks Europe’s forests By guest author Fred Pearce, author and journalist – article from Fern’s report ‘Up in Flames’ Gardanne, near Marseilles in southern France, is a small town with a large power station. The Centrale Thermique de Provence has the tallest chimney in France. At 300
Dear Vice President Timmermans By guest author Adam Macon, Dogwood Alliance, USA Across the United States a growing movement to protect Southern US forests has been gaining attention in Europe. Driven by the well intentioned but unsustainable EU policies towards bioenergy, forests of the Southern US are being clearcut, manufactured into
