{"id":178445,"date":"2021-12-17T13:33:07","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T12:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=178445"},"modified":"2021-12-17T13:33:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T12:33:08","slug":"burning-wood-for-energy-is-a-scandal-that-will-worsen-global-warming-mps-argue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=178445","title":{"rendered":"Burning wood for energy is a \u2018scandal\u2019 that will worsen global warming, MPs argue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Biomass on the move [image credit: Drax]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

he whole \u2018net zero\u2019 thing is a scandal in many ways, but at least some MPs are noticing one of the issues, even if partly for the wrong reason. Burning trees isn\u2019t a solution to anything apart from papering over a few of the cracks in electricity supply caused by intermittent renewables.<\/em>
\u2013 \u2013 \u2013
Burning wood to create power is a \u2018scandal\u2019, 50 MPs warn the energy minister in a letter today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter \u2013 which has cross-party support \u2013 marks a major shift in political opinion over the burning of biomass, which is currently classed by the Government as a green form of energy, says the Daily Mail<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter says the extra emissions produced by biomass \u2018are the equivalent of three million Ford Fiestas on our roads\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organised by Peter Bottomley, Father of the House of Commons, the letter calls for a meeting with Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to discuss ending subsidies to the Drax power plant in Yorkshire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plant supplies about 12 per cent of the UK\u2019s renewable electricity, and is Europe\u2019s biggest wood-burning power station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter states: \u2018The sacrifices constituents are being asked to make to reach net zero are huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Neither they nor we can understand why it was decided to give Drax \u00a34 billion of subsidies from electricity bills to create even more carbon dioxide. This scandal demands an immediate response.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signatories include the Green Party\u2019s Caroline Lucas and the SNP\u2019s Ian Blackford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continued\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

via Tallbloke\u2019s Talkshop<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/ift.tt\/3IXFzON<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 17, 2021 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

he whole \u2018net zero\u2019 thing is a scandal in many ways, but at least some MPs are noticing one of the issues, even if partly for the wrong reason. Burning trees isn\u2019t a solution to anything apart from papering over a few of the cracks in electricity supply caused by intermittent renewables.\u2013 \u2013 \u2013Burning wood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","has-post-thumbnail","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-Kq9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":178431,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=178431","url_meta":{"origin":178445,"position":0},"title":"MPs Finally Wake Up to Biomass Scandal","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"17\/12\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"By Paul Homewood Burning wood to create power is a \u2018scandal\u2019, 50 MPs warn the energy minister in a letter today. The letter \u2013 which has cross-party support \u2013 marks a major shift in political opinion over the burning of biomass, which is currently classed by the Government as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/0image_thumb-73.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/0image_thumb-73.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/0image_thumb-73.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":178599,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=178599","url_meta":{"origin":178445,"position":1},"title":"Burning wood for energy is a \u2019scandal\u2018 that will worsen global warming, MPs argue","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"18\/12\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Biomass on the move [image credit: Drax] The whole \u2018net zero\u2019 thing is a scandal in many ways, but at least some MPs are noticing one of the issues, even if partly for the wrong reason. Burning trees isn\u2019t a solution to anything apart from papering over a few of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/051853215-10315351-image-a-111_1639620917885.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/051853215-10315351-image-a-111_1639620917885.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/051853215-10315351-image-a-111_1639620917885.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":376713,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=376713","url_meta":{"origin":178445,"position":2},"title":"PAC Slam Biomass Sector For Marking Own\u00a0Homework","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/04\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has just released a devastating indictment of UK Government policies regarding the burning of wooden pellets at Drax and other biomass plants.","rel":"","context":"In \"biomass\"","block_context":{"text":"biomass","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biomass"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0Ed-Miliband-vor-dem-Feuer.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0Ed-Miliband-vor-dem-Feuer.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0Ed-Miliband-vor-dem-Feuer.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0Ed-Miliband-vor-dem-Feuer.png?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":198187,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=198187","url_meta":{"origin":178445,"position":3},"title":"EU\u2019s \u2018Carbon Neutral\u2019 Policy of Burning Forests for Fuel Spews 28% More CO2 Emissions Than Burning Coal","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/05\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cBurning woody biomass increases atmospheric CO2 levels for decades. Burning forest biomass for power generation emits more CO2 per-unit of final energy than burning fossil fuels, including coal.\u201d\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0Bloomer et al., 2022 Image Source:\u00a0IGSD It is scientifically well known that (a) \u201cthe carbon emission from wood fuel is bigger by\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0Scientists-say-the-false-accounting-of-forest-bioenergy-biomass-emissions-must-end.jpg?fit=809%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0Scientists-say-the-false-accounting-of-forest-bioenergy-biomass-emissions-must-end.jpg?fit=809%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0Scientists-say-the-false-accounting-of-forest-bioenergy-biomass-emissions-must-end.jpg?fit=809%2C803&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0Scientists-say-the-false-accounting-of-forest-bioenergy-biomass-emissions-must-end.jpg?fit=809%2C803&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":213086,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=213086","url_meta":{"origin":178445,"position":4},"title":"Burning imported wood in Drax power plant \u2018doesn\u2019t make sense\u2019, says Kwarteng","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/08\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"One MP at the meeting told Kwarteng: \u201cIt can take 100 years to grow a tree but 100 seconds to combust it. So, unless we actually have a measure of how much CO2\u00a0is being released in the same period of time as is being sequestered by new growth, it seems\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-383.png?fit=1024%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-383.png?fit=1024%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-383.png?fit=1024%2C598&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-383.png?fit=1024%2C598&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":377501,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377501","url_meta":{"origin":178445,"position":5},"title":"Biomass: The Green Energy Debate We Need To Have","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/05\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Is burning organic matter really saving the planet?","rel":"","context":"In \"biomass\"","block_context":{"text":"biomass","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biomass"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-97.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-97.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-97.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-97.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=178445"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178448,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178445\/revisions\/178448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=178445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=178445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=178445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}