Boots on the ground today with Nannas for Native Forests for International Day of Action on Big Biomass.
Joined by locals in a forest 10kms from Pemberton, we are taking part in collective international action to raise awareness on this critically important issue, and to make it clear that native forest biomass, including from any proposed thinning programs, is unacceptable.
Around the world, forests are under threat from being used for biomass, which industry proponents wrongly claim is a ‘carbon-neutral and climate-friendly’ source of energy.
The truth is that biomass emits more carbon per unit of energy generated than coal, and far from being a clean, green alternative fuel source, it also creates perverse incentives for forests to be logged and burned in the name of climate action.
Here in WA, we have recently had a major breakthrough on logging policy, but thinning proposals are currently being developed for immature regrowth and mine site rehabilitation. As thinning proponents look for markets to cover costs of the proposed programs, biomass is rearing its ugly head again.
We have been down this road in WA before when the woodchipping industry came to town and promised they’d only use ‘waste’ from logging operations. It turned out 85% of the karri sold each year was considered ‘waste’ and massive areas of karri forest were clear-felled to feed the insatiable wood chipping beast.
We must not and will not allow further perverse incentives to influence what happens in our forests. Biomass is not a mainstream energy source in Australia, but the Federal Government is currently developing a ‘bioenergy roadmap’ which is of grave concern to environmentalists, scientists, and true green energy proponents.
There is absolutely no role for native forest biomass in a clean energy future. We need to stop burning carbon-based fuels and protect native forests for climate and biodiversity.
Email Amber-Jade Sanderson, WA Minister for Environment, and Dave Kelly, WA Minister for Forestry, to keep the focus on forests and ensure the development of a world-class Forest Conservation Plan that fully protects the South West’s forests.
https://waforestalliance.good.do/FocusOnForests/Email-Ministers/
Read more about biomass on our fact sheet here:
https://wafa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/FACT-SHEET-Biomass-for-energy.pdf