From our colleagues at Friends of the Earth:
Don’t let the green-sounding name fool you. While burning “biomass” (i.e. trees or other plants) for electricity has been touted as a better source of biofuel, it can be just as harmful to us and the environment as pollution from other sources. Recent studies indicate that some biomass can cause even more global warming pollution than coal.
Right now the EPA is making a decision that could have a huge impact on our climate: label biomass as carbon neutral — and ignore its global warming impact — or acknowledge that biomass has a carbon footprint and set standards to limit and reduce it.
The EPA has requested input from the public — and needs to hear from you today. The forestry industry stands to profit immensely if emissions from the burning of biomass are ignored. Forestry lobbying groups are insisting that EPA ignore these emissions and consider biomass carbon neutral, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.
*Please tell the EPA that emissions from biomass should not be ignored.* [ http://action.foe.org/epa-biomass ]
There may be some forms of biomass that could be beneficial to the environment over time, but without measuring their current carbon emissions, we’ll never know if more sustainable alternatives are possible. For instance, it could take decades for the regrowth of trees to balance out the carbon emissions produced by burning them — precious decades that we can’t afford to lose in fighting the effects of global warming.
*If the EPA only hears from the forestry industry, biomass could be ruled carbon neutral — with disasterous results. Can you take action right now?* [ http://action.foe.org/epa-biomass ]
If we allow the EPA to ignore the emissions from biomass, then we open the floodgates to industrial incentives for biomass production. This could result in substantial environmental degradation as the demand for biomass increases — along with global greenhouse gas emissions.
*Don’t stay silent. We need your help. The EPA needs to know why biomass emissions matter!* [ http://action.foe.org/epa-biomass ]
*Sincerely,
Kate McMahon
Biofuels Campaign Coordinator, Friends of the Earth*
