The Natural Resources Defense Council continues to spread false and widely-debunked claims against renewable wood energy. In its latest report, the NRDC claims that renewable wood energy sets “us back decades in the fight against climate change” and criticizes subsidies from E.U. member states that support biomass power plants.
“Burning trees for electricity is not renewable and not a viable climate solution,” the NRDC claims. These statements could not be farther from the truth.
First, utilizing wood energy is by definition renewable, as the energy source – trees – are grown back. Due to strong demand, privately owned forests are growing some 40% more wood than they harvest.
Second, utilizing renewable wood energy as a replacement for coal does not “set us back” in the fight against climate change – in fact, it’s one of the primary recommendations from leading scientists and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to reducing carbon emissions.
In August 2019, the IPCC released a Special Report on “Climate Change and Land,” focusing on the need for better land management worldwide, and how sustainable practices “can contribute to tackling climate change.” The report specifically highlights bioenergy as a necessary mitigation measure the world should employ in its effort to limit global warming to 1.5°C. According to the IPCC, “sustainable forest management” is part of the strategy to “lower GHG emissions” and mitigate climate change.
In September 2019, more than 100 university forest scientists joined the IPCC in embracing the environmental benefits of wood biomass. These scientists 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, stating in part:
“Forest biomass energy yields significant net decreases in overall carbon accumulation in the atmosphere over time compared to fossil fuels.”
The NRDC also falsely claims that, “Biomass harvest from forests—regardless of the facility in which it is burned—will almost certainly result in a lasting carbon debt by reducing forest carbon stocks.”
Again, both of these claims are incorrect. When replacing fossil fuels like coal, biomass reduces carbon emissions by around 80 percent on a lifecycle basis, according to experts at both the University of Georgia and the University of Illinois.
Wood biomass does not decrease carbon stocks – in fact, it does the opposite and grows carbon stocks, as biomass provides landowners incentives to plant more trees and discourages them from devoting their land to agriculture or development, which would permanently reduce forest acreage. This is supported by research from experts at the University of Georgia and the US Forest Service, who found that nationwide, the absence of demand for wood biomass could actually result in deforestation up to 15,000 square kilometers (5,791 square miles), roughly the size of the entire state of Connecticut. Conversely, increased demand for wood pellets retains thousands more square kilometers in natural timberland area.
The world’s leading climate scientists agree that renewable wood energy plays a small, but vital, role in the fight against climate change. Wood biomass energy can quickly replace coal energy as a drop-in substitute in coal plants, allowing countries to gain a renewable, low-carbon form of baseload power, energy that supports the backbone of the power grid and can be quickly ramped up or down depending on demand. Solar and wind are intermittent power sources; they don’t provide baseload energy. Wood biomass energy is a necessary complement to solar and wind energy, and is part of an all-in renewable solution to the world’s energy challenges.
On this, even NRDC leadership agrees. The NRDC’s new President and CEO, Gina McCarthy, has been a supporter of renewable wood energy. While serving as President Obama’s Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, McCarthy praised renewable wood energy, stating in November 2015 that when done right, biomass “can promote healthy forests, support local economies, and cut carbon pollution.”
“Good forestry practices are good for both the economy, but also the planet’s climate health. Biomass and bioenergy products can be an integral part of state’s climate protection plans that promote responsible land management and renewable energy. If done right – this approach can promote healthy forests, support local economies, and cut carbon pollution.” – Gina McCarthy
Under McCarthy, the Obama EPA in 2015 also included biomass in its landmark Clean Power Plan, which was called “the strongest action ever on climate change by a US president.”
The NRDC should heed the advice of its new leader and reconsider its false and misleading position against renewable wood energy.
Tags: NRDC