By Anna Sager, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
“COP26’s goal “Uniting the world to tackle climate change” – is key to address systemic crises such as the challenging effects of climate change and the need for sustainable recovery from the adverse socio-economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Climate change is the most significant challenge for humanity today. For this reason, replacement of fossil fuels with robust and secure renewables as well as improved energy efficiency in combination with CO2 capture is needed. Among renewables, biomass will play a major role in satisfying the human energy needs.
Bioenergy can take the role of a secure and dispatchable source for power, heat and fuel, complementing intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar.
“The promotion of bioenergy in the EU should be based on sound sustainability criteria, including the requirement to reduce GHG emissions significantly without compromising on other environmental impacts. The EU has leadership in innovative bioenergy technologies; however, deployment remains limited for i.e., advanced biofuels applications.
“Replacing fossil-based energy by 2050 is a very challenging task. Europe will need multiple options for the transition of the energy and transportation system. The most sustainable, cost-efficient, and appropriate technologies and routes need to be identified and developed; for this, investment security as well as stable long-term policies are of utmost importance.
“In spirit of the COP26 goal “Work together to deliver” – Let’s Greenovate together! We can only rise to the challenges of the climate crisis by working together across sectors and combining multiple solutions!”
Anna Sager is Senior Project ManagerRISE Research Institutes of Sweden and Vice President of Greenovate! Europe.