A new report from Dovetail Partners provides a concise primer to policy makers on the forest carbon cycle, carbon accounting, biomass energy emissions and other critical topics. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how and why biomass must be allowed to fulfill its potential as a key source of renewable energy, contributing jobs to the economy and benefits for the environment.
Even though Congress is unlikely to adopt “cap and trade” or other approaches to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for the foreseeable future, the Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to curtail emissions through new regulation, and the result could be substantial for communities, the environment and the economy. So what is the fuss all about? What exactly is the carbon cycle? What is meant by such terms as “carbon dioxide equivalence”, “carbon neutrality”, “fossil carbon,” and “substitution effect”? And, to what are people referring when using the term “carbon debt”? This report starts from square one of the carbon cycle to explain this and other aspects of the carbon debate and what it all means. (Introduction by Author Jim Bowyer)
The implications of the carbon cycle in policy setting are major for forest owners. To read the full Dovetail report, click here. To learn more about carbon and biomass, see NAFO’s Biomass Energy Advocacy Toolkit.
