This year’s Conference of the Parties (COP30) is in Belem, Brazil this November. Brazil holds the presidency at this year’s COP. The bioeconomy will be center stage. The bioeconomy aims to unite the preservation of nature with economic growth. This position is central for the Brazilian government.
Forests and the bioeconomy
The bioeconomy ideally uses nature-based resources that are renewable. Those resources are then turned into food, products, and energy. This sounds good in theory. But it will likely minimize ecological preservation. Instead, all the focus will be on advancing economic growth. Forest biomass is a guaranteed part of Brazil’s proposed bioeconomy. Biomass companies chop down trees, chip them up, and pelletize them. Then they ship these pellets around the world where they’re burned for electricity.
This bioeconomy proposal could usher in a new era of greenwashing at a massive scale. It could destroy any hopes of protecting forests globally.
Sham carbon markets
The latest news from Brazil confirms this worry. The country’s finance minister is proposing a coalition for carbon markets. Carbon markets are a system to earn or buy credits for carbon emissions. Companies, governments, etc. can earn credits for reducing their emissions. Then others can buy those credits to offset their own emissions. This is a shell game. It allows big polluters to keep polluting without consequence. Delegates to COP30 must raise concerns about this scheme.
Forest destruction and biomass
Forests are an integral part of life. They affirm our human relationship within nature. Standing forests are also critical in the fight against climate change. This is a different perspective from forests as a consumable resource. The biomass industry puts profit over the intrinsic value of forests. These companies claim they’re sustainable. But burning trees for energy and heat is not carbon neutral. In fact, it’s one of the worst carbon accounting errors ever. European and Southeast Asian governments fear the phaseout of coal. They’ve chosen to sacrifice our forests as their transition out.
The reality of biomass and a new bioeconomy
We’re now in the same place with Brazil’s new proposed bioeconomy. If we approve a transitional proposal, it will be a boondoggle that won’t go away. Just like the biomass industry. In fact, some governments are still locked into subsidizing biomass companies for years. Some even go beyond the 2030 coal phaseout timeline. The long-term outcomes of this proposed bioeconomy will be just as disastrous. Both economically and ecologically.
How can we let this industry operate with the global challenge of climate change? It’s not only dangerous, it’s a death sentence. In the US South, this has meant increased pollution. Health conditions like cancer and pulmonary diseases have increased. And for the forests we hope to protect? It’s led to the clearcutting of vital forests. Can we negate industry’s attempts to burn our forests for cash? There’s no evidence of the size, scale, and scope of forest protections that would be necessary. We need policy protections at the international level. Without them, the Brazil’s bioeconomy proposal propels us into murky waters. We’ve witnessed biomass corporations co-opting the well-intentioned idea of a managed energy transition. Now how will this industry capitalize on Brazil’s proposed economic growth?
A different path forward
At COP30, delegates could easily accept this proposal without considering the fallout. Or they could follow our recommendations. We can:
- protect forests
- stop the endless government subsidies to planet-destroying corporations
- build a climate policy with true ecological and community protections
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