Matt Williams

Bioenergy -A Burning Issue. A report on sustainable development.

Transcript

1. Matt Williams Climate Change Policy Officer, RSPB
2. Opportunities & challenges for the bioenergy sector Matt Williams Climate Change Policy Officer, RSPB
4. The DECC wetland biomass competition
6. 60 21 19 70 UK domestic bioenergy supply in 2050, primary energy in TWh (source, CCC) Wastes Agricultural residues Forestry arisings & waste Dedicated energy crops Equivalent to ~8% UK primary energy demand
8. Carbon debt from the use of whole trees
9. • “The results of the studies would seem to indicate that the use of roundwood for bioenergy would cause an actual increase in GHG emissions compared to fossil fuels in the short-term (10- 20 years) while it would become carbon neutral and eventually mitigate in the long-term (centuries)” – Joint Research Council Technical note (2012)
10. • “Producing energy from biomass is meant to reduce GHG emissions. But burning biomass increases the amount of carbon in the air if harvesting the biomass decreases the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils, or reduces ongoing carbon sequestration [...] legislation that encourages substitution of fossil fuels by bioenergy, irrespective of the biomass source, may even result in increased carbon emissions” - Opinion of the EEA Scientific Committee on Greenhouse Gas Accounting in Relation to Bioenergy (2011)
11. Will whole trees be used for bioenergy?
15. FoE, Greenpeace & RSPB Recommendations 1. The withdrawal of public subsidy via for generating electricity from feedstocks derived from tree trunks 2. A refocus of support for bioenergy on the use of wastes and other feedstocks that are harvested sustainably 3. A comprehensive carbon accounting system
16. Thank you Matt.williams@rspb.org.uk @mattadamw