An emissions benchmark Where does bioenergy fit into the new global emissions targets? BIOMASS CANADIAN Volume 15 No. 4 Editor -Andrew Macklin (905) 713-4358 [email protected] Editor -Andrew Snook (905) 713-4301 [email protected] Contributors -Nicolas Mansuy, Gordon Murray Editorial Director/Group Publisher -Scott Jamieson (519) 429-3966 ext 244 [email protected] Market Production Manager Josée Crevier Ph: (514) 425-0025 Fax: (514) 425-0068 [email protected] National Sales Manager Ross Anderson Ph: (519) 429-5188 Fax: (519) 429-3094 [email protected] Quebec Sales Josée Crevier Ph: (514) 425-0025 Fax: (514) 425-0068 [email protected] Western Sales Manager Tim Shaddick [email protected] Ph: (604) 264-1158 Fax: (604) 264-1367 Director of Soul/COO -Sue Fredericks Media Designer -Chris Springle Canadian Biomass is published six times a year: February, April, June, August, October, and December. Published and printed by Annex Business Media. Printed in Canada ISSN 2290-3097 Circulation Carol Nixon e-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 51058 Pincourt, QC J7V 9T3 Subscription Rates: Canada -1 Yr $49.50; 2 Yr $87.50; 3 Yr $118.50 Single Copy -$9.00 (Canadian prices do not include applicable taxes) USA – 1 Yr $60 US; Foreign – 1 Yr $77 US Occasionally, Canadian Biomass magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission ©2015 Annex Business Media, All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca I n early June, the G7 countries de-clared that they would work towards decarbonization by 2100. It was a bold announcement from seven of the world’s most powerful countries, which seem to finally be taking the warn-ings of a UN report on climate change released in late 2014 that the impact of climate change would be manageable in greenhouse gas emissions were reduced to zero by the year 2100. That same report, and the subsequent news coverage that followed, focused on renewable energy from wind and solar, nuclear power plants and under-ground carbon capture. Yet little of the dis-cussion centers around the role of biomass and biofuels and how they play a role in this future global energy reliance structure. So then why is it that bioenergy, one of the strongest current solutions for curbing GHG emissions in many countries around the world, is not more prominently sug-gested as part of the long-term solution? I would suggest that it is because many world energy leaders have not adopted the stance on biomass that many of us in the industry believe in, a position that has been solidified time and time again by industry leaders like Bill Strauss of FutureMetrics. That is, of course, that biomass is indeed carbon neutral. I didn’t realize how much backlash such a view would generate until I was tweet-ing at an event that Strauss was speaking at last year. I had tweeted the fact that Strauss was showing the audience that woody biomass was carbon neutral, and several environmentalists and outside observers responded to the tweet with profanity-laced denials of the claim. Of course, those same people will have never bothered to check the science behind Strauss’ claim. But some governments are starting to listen, and are introduc-ing legislation in support of the carbon neutrality of burning wood waste for energy. One of the most re-cent examples is the passing of Senate Bill 752 in Oregon which, in section 3a states: (3)(a) Except to the extent necessary to implement the federal Clean Air Act (P.L. 88-206 as amended), the air pollution laws contained in ORS 468A.025, 468A.030, 468A.035, 468A.040, 468A.045 and 468A.300 to 468A.330 do not apply to carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion or decomposition of biomass. (b) As used in this subsection, “biomass” means: (A) Nonfossilized and biodegradable or-ganic materials that originate from plants, animals and microorganisms and that are products, byproducts, residues or wastes from agriculture, forestry and related industries; This recent example has provided a building block to move forward with a provincial or federal push for similar leg-islation. Asking someone to be the first is always the most difficult, getting someone to follow suit is less so. I’m sure you have heard all of this before. And I know, it isn’t that simple. But if we are truly to meet the targets set forth by the G7, then someone needs to step up with some ideas. Why not biomass? • 4 Canadian BIOMASS JULY/AUGUST 2015
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