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Biomass as a Source for Heat, Power and Chemicals
Published in Subhas K. Sikdar, Frank Princiotta, Advances in Carbon Management Technologies, 2021
Biofuel crops have several effects: Increases in cropland expansion; they take over a huge share in total cropland; they are mainly located in areas that today are occupied by intact ecosystems; and they increase CO2 emissions from deforestation. Thus, converting intact ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests or open woodlands, which store large amounts of carbon and belong to the most diverse terrestrial ecosystems, counteracts global climate and biodiversity protection goals. For bioenergy to make a real net contribution to climate change mitigation, intact forests must be protected. However, currently, less than 3% of global agricultural land is used for cultivating biofuel crops and land use change associated with bioenergy represents only around 1% of the total emissions caused by land-use change globally, most of which are produced by changes in land use for food and fodder production, or other reasons (Popp et al., 2014).
Biomass Energy
Published in Gregory T. Haugan, The New Triple Constraints for Sustainable Projects, Programs, and Portfolios, 2016
The biomass-is-carbon-neutral theory as discussed previously was put forward in the early 1990s. However, it does not apply to harvesting forestland. More recent science recognizes that mature, intact forests sequester carbon more effectively than cut-over areas. Since the goal should be to reduce emissions, not stay equal, the justification of biomass as carbon-neutral appears strained.
An assessment of forest loss and its drivers in protected areas on the Copperbelt province of Zambia: 1972–2016
Published in Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 2022
Darius Phiri, Collins Chanda, Vincent R. Nyirenda, Chisala A. Lwali
The changes from primary to secondary forests and the complete losses (i.e. deforestation) of forest covers were mainly due to the destruction of intact forests resulting from the ever-increasing human population, small-scale farming, and unsustainable utilisation of forest products. The finding from this study indicates that most of the forest changes in the protected areas are driven by different anthropogenic activities, and it is also possible that the rise in human population between 1972 and 2016 (Simwanda & Murayama, 2018) may have led to the conversion of forests to other forms of land cover. The human population of the study area, the Copperbelt Province has increased from 850,000 in 1972 to over two million in 2016. In the neighbouring Congo Basin, Ernst et al. (2013) recorded similar trends in the decline of primary forest in protected areas, primarily influenced by the growing human population.