Europe's Renewable Push May Unintentionally Harm Forests and Climate Goals
Europe's push for renewable energy may unintentionally harm forests and climate change goals. The increased demand for wood as bioenergy could lead to a CO2 debt in non-EU forests if not properly addressed. The German Environment Agency (UBA) warns against this, highlighting weaknesses in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) regulation.
The RED's revision method does not account for CO2 debt from intensifying forest management, potentially missing environmental and climate policy smart goals. The UBA recommends consistently accounting for all emission sources, including this CO2 debt, when assessing bioenergy's climate protection forecast. The revised RED's target to increase bioenergy use to 27% renewable energy by 2030 may lead to intensified forest management, risking these goals.
The LULUCF regulation allows member states to hide up to 369 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030, lowering their incentive to keep CO2 bound in their forests. This could exacerbate the CO2 debt issue. To mitigate this, the UBA suggests stricter sustainability criteria for biomass sourcing to prevent land-use changes and protect biodiversity. Accurate carbon accounting is also crucial to ensure bioenergy production genuinely reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.
To ensure environmental justice and a net climate benefit from bioenergy use in the RED II draft, the UBA recommends implementing stricter sustainability criteria and accurate carbon accounting. This will help prevent unintended consequences and protect forests and climate change goals in Europe and beyond.
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