Better Accountancy for a Real Hopenhagen

Abstract

It is questioned whether states, cities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can solve the climate problem when rejecting to learn from critical scrutiny of their decisions. The Danish example of massive scale conversions from fossil to biomass sources for combustion-derived energy is a case in point, as it cannot be generalized. Historical as well as actual measurements since 1958 show that the world is living with an exceptionally high and rising level of atmospheric concentration of CO2. Additions (“sources”) and subtractions (“sinks”) have, therefore, to be considered as comprehensively as possible. Biological sinks must be better protected and expanded. The role of forests in climate mitigation is generally judged too optimistically without due regard to the threat of tipping points and short-term contributions to global warming from using woody biomass for energy purposes. Under the aim of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to stabilize CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere at a level in accord with the precautionary principle, the reporting of national emissions must comprise CO2 emissions from the combustion of biomass, too. Since the Kyoto-phrase that “biomass fuels are considered CO2 neutral” in the energy sector has no consistent backing in the land sector, the complexities of real forest development must be considered. Protection must be prioritized to avoid that more forests tip into becoming net sources of greenhouse gases—and forest potentials to draw down CO2 from the atmosphere are foregone. Therefore, carbon accounting must be extended from the one-sided approach of reckoning with “Kyoto-CO2” from fossil sources only to integrated assessments of, how to decarbonize, i.e., reduce CO2 emissions from the use of biomass sources, too. To become sustainable, correcting erroneous accountancy is a first step to be taken. Instead of using problematic carbon calculators, integrated energy planning for clean renewables can help, e.g., at city level.