*[Enwl-eng] Worse than coal 🌲��
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This is a climate lie few people know about: millions of trees are burned to generate 'green' energy. European decision makers are debating if this terrible policy should continue. This is our chance to stop this. Send a message today. |
Hi,
The big debate is beginning. EU energy ministers and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will start discussing if burning trees at mass scale should be removed from the list of 'clean and renewable energies'. [1]
This is a huge opportunity. If they do remove them from the list, we can save forests. All because it would stop billions of euros of our tax money flowing into this dirty energy - so-called 'biomass'. Our money is like oxygen to the industry - without it, the polluters won’t survive. [2]
Experts are clear: When trees are cut down from forests and turned into containers full of wood pellets to be burned, it accelerates the climate crisis, pollutes the air we breathe, and destroys the homes of thousands of animals. [3]
But EU leaders won’t stop this industry, if they don’t hear from us, Vladimir. For many of them this is just one of hundreds of topics they deal with, and industry is already whispering reasons to maintain the status quo in their ears. Let's tell them that we need to protect our forests! If each of us contacts our representatives directly, we can pressure decision makers to stop this and save our trees.
We have fought against coal and are on the right track. Coal is being stopped all over Europe. [6] But the polluting industry wants to keep their business going and the money flowing in. How? They want to turn the power plants where they burn coal into places where they burn trees to make energy.
Plans to replace coal with this dangerous way to produce energy have already been made, from Finland, Netherlands, Denmark to Germany, Spain and Italy. [4]
We are already losing our forests at an alarming rate. And these plans
mean we could lose even more. Even worse – according to top scientists, burning
trees would catapult us towards climate destruction even faster.
[5]
But together we could stop the EU from funding this dangerous
industry once and for all. When leaders meet they just have to stop
labelling the mass burning of trees as 'green energy’.
It won’t be easy to stop this. But a public outcry could change the rules.
Thank you,
David (London), Annemarie (Berlin) and the entire WeMove
Europe team
P.S. Scientists from all over the world are on our side. Over 500 renowned scientists have warned that we need to protect our natural forests now - not burn them. [7] Help us stop the burning of our forests.
References:
[1] The environmental committee is debating the policy;
the first deadline is on February 9, 2022. A vote is expected in May. The
influential industry committee will vote in approximately June this year. Our
heads of state and energy ministers also work on the policy. One important
meeting is happening on the 21/22 January.
[2] In many countries, there is a
push by industry to transform coal plants into plants that will burn trees. This
is a terrible idea. More here: “The Shift from Coal to Biomass Is on in Europe”
https://www.powermag.com/the-shift-from-coal-to-biomass-is-on-in-europe/
Example
of Portugal:
https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/11/22/portugal-becomes-the-fourth-eu-country-to-stop-using-coal-to-generate-electricity
[3]
500+ scientists tell EU to end tree burning for energy
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hdmmcnd0d1d2lq5/Scientist%20Letter%20to%20Biden%2C%20von%20der%20Leyen%2C%20Michel%2C%20Suga%20%26%20Moon%20%20Re.%20Forest%20Biomass%20%28February%2011%2C%202021%29.pdf?dl=0
[4]
Europe’s planned biomass conversion projects would require 36m tonnes of wood
pellets every year, equal to the entire current global wood pellet production.
This would require forests covering 2,700 sq km to be cut down annually, the
equivalent of half the Black Forest in Germany.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/16/converting-coal-plants-to-biomass-could-fuel-climate-crisis-scientists-warn
[5]
“The amount of carbon dioxide released per unit of electricity produced by woody
biomass is typically 50% greater than coal”. Prof. William Moomaw, Tufts
University IPCC author for 19 years on five reports. Read it here:
http://www.perspectivesecologiques.com/telechargements/SOSFSUD%20Myth%20of%20Carbon%20Neutrality%20of%20Biomass%20Pr%20William%20Moomaw%20Tufts%20University.pdf
[6]
A recent article: https://beyond-coal.eu/coal-exit-timeline/
[7]
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20482842-scientist-leter-to-biden-van-der-leyden-michel-suga-moon-february-11-2021
WeMove Europe is an independent and values-based organisation that seeks to build people power to transform Europe in the name of our community, future generations and the planet.
WeMove Europe is funded by donations from our community across Europe. Can you chip in with a few euros a month and help make sure we can move fast to win the campaigns that matter to all of us? Donate
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