Is biomass carbon neutral?
Renewable energy generally produces few or no greenhouse gases, with the exception, however, of biomass. The carbon dioxide emitted can be balanced out by the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere while the organic material is produced. If biomass is being managed as a sustainable crop, there are no net carbon dioxide emissions over the time frame of a cycle of biomass production. Biomass can therefore be referred to as a carbon neutral form of energy generation.
Production of biomass from coppice rotation woodland in the UK is sustainable resource. With current technology this is not a source of biofuels for combustion engines. Biofuels can also be produced from crops grown in country- there is more controversy where production is based overseas as in some ways this mimics the political fragility and economic dependence created by the oil industry.
Friends of the Earth has described biofuels as a phoney fix for climate with a land grab for biofuels production harming some of the world’s poorest people.
