Negative emissions

Burning biomass does not change the atmospheric concentration of CO2, and is neutral regarding climate change

Geoffrey Glover seems to be missing the point regarding CO2 emissions from biomass.

When fossil fuels are burnt, the CO2 released contains carbon that was removed from the atmosphere tens to hundreds of millions of years ago. When biomass is burnt, the CO2 released contains carbon that was removed from the atmosphere recently (ranging from a few days to a few centuries).

Burning fossil fuels causes the atmospheric concentration of CO2 to increase, resulting in climate change. Burning biomass does not change the atmospheric concentration of CO2, and is neutral regarding climate change.

The Bioenergy Review by the UK Committee on Climate Change concludes that, in principle, bioenergy provides a low-carbon energy source. However, the report also concludes that the regulatory framework needs to be strengthened to ensure that inappropriate land use, and production and transportation emissions do not erode the benefits of bioenergy.

The report clearly states that introducing carbon capture and storage when using biomass as an energy source will produce negative emissions, thereby assisting in achieving the UK’s target for emissions reduction.

Robin Trow, Snodland, Kent

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