Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds

"Burning wood for power generation can emit twice as much carbon per unit of energy produced as fossil gas and is far less efficient in generating energy."

"The models found that even when half of the wood was from waste sources and half from fast-growing plantations, it could take decades to reach negative emissions."

"Governments should not subsidise burning wood from existing forests, with or without carbon capture and storage. Doing so will increase carbon emissions for decades."

Research indicates that burning wood for power generation may produce more carbon emissions than burning gas, even with carbon capture. Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is considered a clean energy alternative, but it could take up to 150 years to achieve negative emissions. The conversion of existing land to biomass production and the burning of wood from old-growth forests exacerbate the issue. Emissions from wood burning occur before reaching power plants, making capture ineffective. Governments should avoid subsidizing wood burning from existing forests.

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