Please find below a response from the Back Biomass campaign in response to Friends of the Earth’s claims about DECC's carbon calculator that were made yesterday:

A spokesperson for the Back Biomass campaign said: “As pointed out clearly on the front page of the model itself, this is a preliminary version of an excel spreadsheet that’s still in development phase. It appears it has now been used out of context by one interest group. We understand that this beta version was presented to a limited number of stakeholders for the sole purpose of inviting feedback on the functionality of the tool itself, not to draw conclusions on its findings which are far too early stage to provide any meaningful insights. There are inaccuracies in the tool that need input from stakeholders, which is why DECC released it for comment. Fundamental revisions are expected before it can be used with any degree of accuracy.

 

“The scenarios and assumptions referred to do not reflect the sustainable forestry practices or procurement regimes that our industry insists upon. For example, overall the carbon stock of a genuinely sustainable forest remains stable or increases precisely because more carbon is being absorbed than is being harvested. This guarantees that biomass reduces carbon emissions.  Our input into DECC will refine those assumptions and it is therefore totally inaccurate to assume that this first draft reflects reality.  

 

“Far from ‘changing everything’, FOE is once again using data that doesn’t reflect the real world of biomass supply chains and forestry governed by strict Sustainability Criteria. We would be delighted to meet with them to share information and explain how the biomass industry ensures the wood we source is sustainable, and to help ensure a scientifically sound understanding of the various models used to calculate carbon.”