Over 125 academics join IEA Bioenergy urging Chatham House to reconsider flawed policy recs

A recent report by UK think-tank ‘Chatham House’ on the impact of bioenergy on global climate adds to the increasing number of misleading statements in the context of EU discussions about its energy future. On Monday, the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (IEA Bioenergy) attracted more than 125 academic signatories from both sides of the Atlantic who consider that this report does not present an objective overview of the current state of scientific understanding with respect to the climate effects of bioenergy.

With the upcoming EU-level discussion on the future of European energy, publications analyzing the contribution of bioenergy have proliferated, including the recent Chatham house report “Woody Biomass for Power and Heat: Impacts on the Global Climate”. IEA Bioenergy points out that this report does not present an objective overview of the current state of scientific understanding with respect to the climate effects of bioenergy. The report was analysed by members of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme with globally recognised expertise in biomass production, carbon accounting and sustainability of biomass. They determined that the major conclusions and policy-specific recommendations are based on unsubstantiated claims and flawed arguments.

Source: IEA Bioenergy
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