biomass
Estonia is beginning to see the cost of wood pellets. Is North Carolina next?
Turning ancient forests into wood pellets is putting the country’s tourism and climate commitments at risk.
biomass
Wood pellets cause more climate pollution than coal when they’re burned. So why does Europe call them ‘carbon neutral’?
The panel I was moderating on the wood pellet trade was bombing. Precious minutes disappeared as we waited for a PowerPoint to load. All three speakers exceeded their time, detailing every facet of the biomass industry rather than focusing on its climate impact, as I had (so naively!) suggested. Worst of all, throughout the 45-minute session that stood between cocktail hour and the attendees of the annual energy conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, the opposing sides didn’t seem to agree on even a narrow set of facts. Jen Jenkins, vice president at Enviva, the world’s largest pellet producer, said her industry helped solve the climate crisis: The pellets displace coal, and even though their combustion releases carbon emissions, those would be sucked out of the atmosphere by replanted trees.
carbon pricing
How much credit does RGGI deserve for the Northeast’s progress on emissions?
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative supporters acknowledge other factors but say the program is an important piece.
Colorado
All-electric homes offer a prototype for low-carbon housing in Colorado
The Basalt Vista housing project eschews natural gas as the state looks to reduce emissions from the building sector.
transportation
Massachusetts bill aims to reduce traffic congestion, but will it help climate?
Climate groups say the transportation bill contains steps in the right direction but falls short of transformational.