Russia: sanctions, not on everyone's most favored trading partners lists these days, although Europe doesn't seem to have a LOT of problems with buying Russian natural gas. Say you're a pulp/paper mill farmer in this country that has watched your tree business shrink year after year . Someone wants to buy your trees chewed up, turned into pellets and shipped by bulk carrier the short distance across the northern corner of the Atlantic Ocean. You're gonna say no ? You can plant more fast growing pines and sell them again just like you've been doing for years. The problem begins when you are selling faster than you are growing. AT what point is forest to energy not sustainable ? Coal still supports 30% of the world's energy needs. It is hardly dead and it's not going anywhere soon, despite pundits' fantasies of a 100% green world. Cutting trees down to plant solar panels is self defeating.
I doubt the pellets are from Pine forests... I seem to remember there being a bit of a row about the pellets being made from southern hardwood cut explicitly for the purpose of making pellets.
From the article: "For several years, the Swedish state power company Vattenfall imported wood chips from old rubber trees on the giant Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia. The project, part-funded by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. federal agency, had originally promised to light homes in the West African nation. But that never happened, and after the project collapsed in 2012, the wood chips began being shipped to Sweden." WHY was an entity named "Overseas Private Investment Corp" when it's funded by U.S. taxpayers? Must have been to hide it from public scrutiny. So 2012--that was in the middle of the Obama admin. It was funded by the O'bama's bureaucracy. Where did the money go? Money didn't go to light African homes. It went into the pockets of someone. IF one believes in global warming from carbon emissions, and I do not... then substituting wood for coal is a step in the right direction. But notice the environmentalists are not happy with steps in the right directions. They want submission and perfection.
It's gonna hurt when you pull that band aid off.... OPIC is a corporation for private investments, patterned off the Marshall plan after WW2. It's a Nixon adminstration creation.
key word there is threatens at least those forests grow back these never do: Going Solar Isn’t Green if You Cut Down Tons of Trees
Good Article. I agree, whatever math six flags is using is pretty flawed. You lose the trees, you lose the carbon sinks.
Claim: Your wood stove affects the climate more than you might think Claim: Your wood stove affects the climate more than you might think
A similar effect has been noted from cruise and freight ships in Arctic waters... I was at the Tracy Arm glacier a year ago, and the ship's captain even mentioned it. Also worth mentioning...up to the left of the toungue of the Tracy Arm Glacier that's retreating is an empty hanging valley that just a few years ago had a Glacier...its gone now. I admit that I am surprised that wood stoves could create enough of the same soot. Interesting article.
