As You Sow, a 501(c)(3) non-profit shareholder advocacy organization based in Berkeley, California, has made combating fossil fuels a top priority since its founding in 1992. As You Sow specifically advocates “for diversification away from traditional energy sources” and states that companies must “move away from harmful fossil fuels to cleaner, less socially disruptive energy sources.”
On this point, As You Sow is absolutely right. Given the increasing negative effects of climate change, reducing carbon emissions by transitioning away from fossil fuels, in line with recommendations from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is of critical importance today.
Unfortunately, As You Sow is actively undermining their own position by effectively supporting coal energy, the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive energy source on the planet.
As You Sow has been attacking renewable wood energy, one of the most effective technologies being deployed at scale in countries across the world to reduce carbon emissions and displace coal. As You Sow is falsely spreading anti-biomass messaging and claims that biomass “increases global warming and destroy ecosystems.” They link to discredited claims from an extreme Asheville, North Carolina-based anti-forestry group, the Dogwood Alliance.
As You Sow’s misleading claims have been repeatedly refuted by leading climate authorities, including the IPCC. The IPCC – widely considered the world’s leading authority on climate science – has consistently confirmed the important role of bioenergy in climate change mitigation. According to the IPCC, every pathway to keeping temperature increases under 1.5 degrees Celsius includes sustainable forestry and wood biomass. In August 2019, the IPCC reiterated this position in its special report on “Climate Change and Land.”
In fact, more than 100 scientists have joined the IPCC in embracing the environmental benefits of wood biomass. These scientists have signed on to a letter published by the National Association of University Forest Resource Programs (NAUFRP) confirming that biomass decreases carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels.
Wood biomass is increasingly being used as a renewable, low-carbon energy source to replace dirty coal plants in countries across the world, from the EU to Japan, and experts from the University of Illinois say that wood biomass reduces emissions by 74 to 85 percent on a lifecycle basis when compared to coal. In fact, thanks to wood biomass, the UK has been able to go weeks without burning any coal.
Here’s the reality: the alternative to less wood biomass is more coal. As You Sow should be applauding how wood biomass is phasing out fossil fuels, not advocating for policies that would result in burning more coal.