Is Biomass Carbon Neutral: Compared to fossil fuels, forest-sourced biomass can provide carbon-lean energy if properly managed

摘要

For my last New Year's resolution, I decided to visit schools to give presentations about trees and forestry. At my first outing, in a class of six-year-olds, I easily convinced the kids of the benefits of forests—clean air, stable soils, habitat forfurry and feathery little things, etc. I then moved on to the products humans can get from trees, including biomass for bioenergy. That's when Mrs. J., the teacher, interrupted to say, "Dear, we don't need to cut trees anymore; we have all those wonderful substitution products to replace wood." I looked at her, aghast, and then launched into a fumbling diatribe about greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints. I quickly realized that had I lost the toddlers' interest after my third mention of "life-cycle analysis".