PTo avoid catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss, climate science is warning us that humanity must stop turning forests into agricultural land, as this process releases carbon dioxide and destroys habitats.
Yet, as the world’s population, incomes, and meat consumption grow, agricultural land is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. Europe has contributed to this deforestation by outsourcing its supply of food and other agricultural products.
Unfortunately, the climate strategy “Fit for 55” [paquet législatif visant à réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre d’au moins 55 %] of the European Union is about to extend Europe’s footprint and increase global deforestation. That is why a group of scientists from all over Europe calls on the European Parliament to modify the plan with reasonable amendments (some have already been adopted by one of its committees).
Vast amounts of productive land
The plan aims to dedicate one-fifth of Europe’s cropland to bioenergy by 2050. Imports of firewood for energy production will also quadruple, an annual volume roughly equivalent to 40% of the entire annual timber harvest in Canada, the second largest timber exporter in the world.
Harvesting and burning more trees increases the amount of carbon in the atmosphere for decades or even centuries. This is true even if trees are allowed to grow back and even if wood replaces coal (the dirtiest fuel used for energy).
Burning biomass releases more carbon than burning fossil fuels, but these emissions are ignored
The central problem stems from a systemic error in siled thinking: the plan ignores the effects of bioenergy production for the climate and nature. Burning biomass releases more carbon than burning fossil fuels, but these emissions are ignored. The theory is that this carbon is removed from the air as plants grow, so burning plants does not add “net” carbon to the air.
But this is a mistake, because growing plants for bioenergy is not only time consuming, but also requires vast amounts of productive land, at the expense of food and habitat, requiring more cropland and less forests elsewhere in the world, to maintain food production.
You have 62.45% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.