A study commissioned by European environmentalists has warned that planned biomass demand is likely to exceed the availability of wood and land for energy crops in the EU.

image expired

A second report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) concludes that the amount of land that can be used for energy crops without displacing food or damaging valuable habitats is only 1.3 million hectares, whilst the European Commission foresees a demand five times larger in 2030.  According to the scientists the amount of land that could be safely dedicated to energy production in the EU, if entirely absorbed by the transport sector, would only provide 1 percent of the sector's fuel needs, which suggests land use constraints may lead to pressures on food production, given the forecast demand for crop-based biofuels.

Previous research has shown that, as a result of unsustainable policies and consumption Patterns, Europe is the least self-sufficient global region on Earth, with a 'land footprint' (the reliance on food and other crop-based products produced on land outside its borders) over 1.5 times larger than the continent itself. The UK is thought to use a land area three times its physical size.  

The studies released this month also find that, without the introduction of new policy safeguards, the benefits of bioenergy in the fight against climate change are highly uncertain. If no measures are taken to constrain the use of woody bioenergy, future greenhouse gas emissions from releasing forest carbon stocks would be the same as the EU's annual emission savings between 2005 and 2012. Under current policy assumptions, the use of woody bioenergy will take more than 100 years to reduce emissions.

"New policies are urgently needed to put the EU's bioenergy use on a sustainable track: it is perverse to fight climate change with 'solutions' that risk exacerbating the problem," said Sini Eräjää, EU Bioenergy Policy Officer at the European Environmental Bureau, who commissioned the research.

Although they agree with EEB's calls for better, more environmentally benign bioenergy incentives, Renewables industry groups have been critical of the studies.

Paul Thompson, head of policy at the Renewable energy Association (REA), which represents the renewables industry in Britain, said, "These reports [actually] show that the potential for home-grown European bioenergy from wastes and residues is considerable, if the policies are supportive. The recommendations in these reports echo calls we have long been making for targeted policy support for advanced bioenergy sources.

"The latest IPCC report strikes a good balance between the vital importance of bioenergy in all its various forms for addressing climate change, and the need for robust regulations to ensure the best environmental outcomes. The IPCC report should be the starting point for an honest, open and constructive debate on bioenergy – or else the ongoing political stalemate will leave a gaping hole in our efforts to address climate change."