According to reader J-eelman biomass produces too many CO2 emissions. “It destroys flora and fauna – because if you destroy a forest and replace it with young trees, it is not yet a forest – and the calorific value of wood is low compared to other fuels.”
Also Aangle511 emphasizes the damage it can cause: “Forests provide evaporation and therefore cooling. Cut down the woods and it will get (even) warmer. Moreover, the EU may think that it is CO2 neutral, but of course it is not. In fact, biomass emits 3 times as much CO2 as burning natural gas.” Reader Jannigje furthermore, does not believe that biomass plants are actually fired on ‘waste wood’. “Woods will be cut down deliberately for this purpose!”
Another reader agrees, claiming that the more forests are cut, the more the earth will warm. “That’s not even talking about the so-called CO2 reduction. This CO2 is absorbed by trees and converted into wood and oxygen. Moreover, it is also true that where there are trees there is shade. It is therefore also cooler in this spot. It is incomprehensible that such a development of logging is still allowed and should in fact be criminalized,” he writes.
Nuclear energy
Instead of biomass, many readers of De Kwestie emphasize the importance of nuclear energy instead of biomass. So says Mar08 that switching to biomass “is the stupidest thing you can do since trees are nature’s lungs. Build more nuclear power plants! There will also be protests against this – because of the waste – but of all the options, this really seems to me to be the best.”
Reader Bertroele fully agrees: “Biomass is really not a long-term solution. We should go for nuclear power stations and then find a solution for the waste.” J-eelman also believes that we really should start building more nuclear power stations. But we also have to open the gas tap in Groningen, according to this reader: “But then all Groningen residents finally get a real compensation!”
Henk Righolt also agrees: “The gas tap must be opened again in the Netherlands. Turn the area affected by the gas extraction into a nature reserve and compensate all those affected generously! Make sure they get a house of at least equal value. With the billions of income, that should not be a problem.”