Approx. 200 Scientists Demand Biomass is Not Classified as Carbon Neutral

At least 200 scientists sent a letter to congressional committee chairs in the US, asking them to reject new rules proposed under the Clean Air Act to define biomass burned for energy as carbon neutral. Biomass energy is produced by burning wood pellets and is thus not carbon neutral. Especially not as native forests that store enormous amounts of carbon are cleared to make the pellets.

In an old (and outdated) UN policy, biomass is recognised as carbon neutral. The US forestry industry have used this to their advantage and begun to produce more wood pellets for power plants in the EU, Great Britain and South Korea, among others.

The scientists who signed the letter issued a warning that failure to accurately measure and acknowledge the emissions produced by biomass plants will cause destabilisation of the global climate. Thus, it is vital that the new rules on biomass proposed under the Clean Air Act are removed. This is not just because of its effect on the climate, but also because of deforestation’s contribution to habitat and biodiversity loss and disruptions to ecosystem services like rainfall.