The activists are calling on ministers to finish all subsidies for burning wooden from forests and power crops in energy stations and to not award power corporations any new help or contracts to take action.
Bioenergy has been promoted as a carbon-neutral and renewable power supply on the premise that the emissions launched by burning wooden and crops may be offset by the carbon dioxide taken up by these planted to exchange them.
The trade claims that the wooden is sustainably sourced from forestry waste – like twigs and offcuts quite than complete bushes – and that carbon seize know-how will help to catch CO2 emissions when its burned.
But scientists and activists have been elevating severe doubts over the veracity of those sustainability claims and whether or not biomass ought to play a significant position in nationwide internet zero plans.
“The assumption that burning wood is carbon neutral is false,” the campaigners wrote on Friday.
“It is very different than the genuinely low-carbon energy provided by wind, solar, or geothermal.
“Bioenergy power plants are some of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide in the UK.
“It is assumed that they can offset their emissions by regrowing the trees that are cut down. But this can take decades – time we don’t have in the race to cut emissions and tackle climate change.”
In the letter, the campaigners additionally claimed that burning wooden pellets has been discovered to extend power payments, carries larger dangers to UK power and meals safety in comparison with wind and photo voltaic, and causes air pollution that may negatively have an effect on well being and nature.
They disputed Government and trade arguments that carbon seize know-how could make bioenergy “carbon negative”, including that the UK’s internet zero plans are based mostly on “flawed calculations”.
Elsewhere, they raised considerations that subsidies shall be granted to energy corporations in the event that they commit to make use of carbon seize know-how – however no matter whether or not they truly accomplish that.
“Billions of billpayers’ money may be used for business-as-usual burning of trees,” the letter warned.
The Government is about to unveil a brand new biomass technique on the finish of June, outlining how utilizing sustainably-sourced wooden and carbon seize know-how will help the UK attain internet zero.
Energy large Drax , which runs the wood-burning energy plant in Yorkshire, has been hoping the Government will lengthen wooden burning licences past the present 2027 expiration.
But the latest Climate Change Committee’s report into the Government’s internet zero progress discovered that biomass energy vegetation should not be given contracts to function from 2027 if the UK hopes to attain its targets.
The majority of biomass burned within the UK is sourced and shipped from international locations just like the US, Canada and Estonia with producers typically counting on authorities subsidies to make revenue.
Many been rocked by scandals lately, dealing with allegations of reducing down complete bushes quite than simply forestry waste and polluting the air of weak communities the place the wooden pellets are made.
The campaigners referred to reviews that Drax’s personal scientific advisers advised the corporate to cease calling biomass “carbon neutral” and referring to the wooden it makes use of as “waste”.
They additionally cited analysis which discovered that Drax is a significant PM10 polluter – small particles that may be inhaled and trigger well being points.
Gemma Hoskins, senior UK director at Mighty Earth, stated: “Chopping down trees to make wood pellets to burn for electricity is not carbon neutral, it’s a carbon nightmare, releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than coal.”
Alex Mackaness, senior coverage adviser for bioenergy at RSPB, stated: “Moving forward, burning trees for electricity generation, even with carbon capture and storage, should not be supported, and instead the Strategy must identify how we best use the scarce biomass resources we have at our disposal in a way that delivers both for people and nature.”
Matt Williams, campaigner for Cut Carbon Not Forests, added: “It has become crystal clear how bad burning trees is for the climate, forests, and people’s energy bills.
“It’s time to consign burning trees in power plants to the past, and focus on protecting forests.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson stated: “We are committed to maintaining our strict biomass sustainability criteria, to ensure biomass use genuinely contributes to the UK’s decarbonisation efforts and is in line with the UK’s climate and environmental goals.
“Our ambition is to remain at the forefront of biomass sustainability, strengthening our already strict criteria where required.
“The Biomass Strategy will present further detail on this area.”
PA has contacted Drax for remark.
