The EU’s decision to curb energy from biomass on a massive scale has sparked outrage. Because nuclear energy and coal are ecological for Brussels.
“Without wood biomass, we will inevitably become even more dependent on Putin’s ice-cold gas strategy and we will not be able to manage the energy transition,” said Stephan Pernkopf, responsible provincial councilor for Lower Austria. Turquoise EU mandate holder Alex Bernhuber also joins the howls of protest: “It is completely incomprehensible to give nuclear power a green scam and activate coal-fired power plants, while limiting the use of green forest reserves.”
Biomass is the green number one in Austria
Of course, experts warn to leave the church in the village and see the decision more differentiated: because according to the compromise reached, forest biomass should continue to be considered as a renewable energy source, but the amount of fixed cubic meters should be limited – and the financing enormously limited. Here lies the crux. Because 40 percent of space heating in Austria comes from crisis-resistant biomass, almost all of which is transported to the individual factories via short, climate-friendly transport routes and secures tens of thousands of green jobs.
The “green treasure of the forests” accounts for 56 percent of our renewable energy, is the number one most sustainable resource and makes a significant contribution to achieving Austria’s mandatory climate protection goals.
‘We need green energy in the crisis’
Success of the farmers’ association: its members of the EU parliament were able to state that forest biomass at the average level of the period from 2017 to 2022 will also be considered renewable in the future. Yet this cap, which Brussels has not thought about, is incomprehensible to Felix Montecuccoli, chairman of “Land & Forstbetriebe Österreichs”: “We need green energy now in the crisis.”
Incidentally, the local forest grows more wood than is used annually – as much per second as it takes to build a single-family home.
Nevertheless, Brussels has good reasons for the biomass ban: the looting of the world’s forests must at least be slowed down. Paul Nemecek, leader of the farmers’ association of Lower Austria, notes that small-scale forestry in Austria cannot be compared with other countries.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
