Europe has sufficient biomass to avoid harming the environment

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 15, 2006 (Refocus Weekly)

Europe has enough biomass to support renewable energy targets to 2030, but the continent should require detailed environmental guidelines to safeguard the sector’s biodiversity.

“Extending biomass use to produce bioenergy will both help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the European renewable energy targets,” says the European Environment Agency in its ‘How much biomass can Europe use without harming the environment?’ report. “However, biomass production may create additional environmental pressures, such as on biodiversity, soil and water resources.”

The EEA is assessing how much biomass can be used for generation of green power without causing additional pressures, and preliminary results suggest there is sufficient biomass potential in the EU-25 to support ambitious renewable energy targets in an environmentally responsible way. “Achieving maximum gains and minimising the potential threat of bioenergy production requires careful planning from EU to local level,” and an assessment of the policies and measures needed to mobilize the potential needs further consideration on logistical and cost issues.

“Preliminary results indicate that significant biomass is available to support ambitious renewable energy targets in 2010, 2020 and 2030, even after taking environmental constraints into account,” it concludes. “The environmentally-compatible biomass potential would be in line with other environmental policies and objectives.”

“Safeguarding biodiversity, and soil and water resources requires that detailed environmental guidelines become an integral part of planning processes at all levels of decision making,” it adds. “The potential for achieving co-benefits between biomass production and nature conservation will have to be further explored and adapted to local environmental conditions.”

The European Union has set ambitious targets for the share of renewables in total energy and electricity consumption, and for biofuels. Biomass can produce green power, green fuel and green heat, and currently accounts for two-thirds of renewable energy production in the EU. “It will have to contribute even more in order to achieve the 2010 targets,” since the European Commission estimates that the target of 12% from renewables in total energy consumption will require 130 Mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) of biomass.

Policy discussions for the post-2010 period have started, and a share from renewables of 20% of total energy by 2020 would need 210 to 250 Mtoe of primary
biomass, it predicts. “The environmentally-compatible potential is the quantity of biomass that is technically available for energy generation based on the assumption that this places no additional pressures on biodiversity, soil and water resources compared to a development without increased bioenergy production.”

Preliminary results indicate that the potential of environmentally-compatible primary biomass for producing energy could increase from 180 Mtoe in 2010 to 300 Mtoe in 2030, with potential from agriculture, forests and waste.

“A substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions can be avoided by increasing the environmentally-compatible production and use of bioenergy,” but this will depend on how the biomass is used in the competing end-use sectors for electricity, heat and transport. It could offer other benefits to the environment, ranging from the removal of residues that will reduce the fire risk in un-managed forests to the introduction of new biomass cropping systems which could combine high yields with little fertiliser and pesticide input.


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