As the EU looks to finalise the re-cast Renewable Energy Directive as part of the Fit for 55 package, this briefing examines the science against burning solid biomass for energy.
Ember's Phil Macdonald explains his report on BECCS at Drax. Will a future BECCS plant be eye-wateringly expensive and actually make our climate worse?
Burning wood for power and heat has climate impacts, as the plant growth needed to offset emissions grows too slowly - and huge carbon stores are lost in combustion.
Forests cover around a third of the world’s land area and have a central role to play in the global climate cycle as carbon sinks, storing huge quantities of carbon in plant biomass and in the soil.