While the Nova Scotia government’s renewable energy targets are to be commended, reaching this goal through the scraping of our forests to produce forest biomass energy is not acceptable.
“This is the worst of the worst, and the science is clear that this practice is not sustainable – it’s detrimental to wildlife, water systems, and soil productivity. Furthermore, it causes a net loss of carbon from our forests and forest soils. It’s not a carbon-neutral energy source – that’s nothing but a myth,” says Jamie Simpson, a forester with the Ecology Action Centre.
We don’t know how many acres of Nova Scotia’s forests have been whole-tree clearcut for biomass energy, but we do know that a lot more cutting is planned.
Take action!
If you are concerned about biomass harvesting in Nova Scotia, please write to your elected officials, sign the Stop the Spray Petition, write to your elected officials or send a letter to the editor to your local paper or the provincial Chronicle Herald. Click contact information for Nova Scotia’s Legislative Assembly.
More Information
- East Coast Environmental Law (ECELAW) 2015 Report and Forest Biomass Energy Policy in the Maritime Provinces: Accounting for Science
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Biomass Information: Ecology Action Centre, March 2011, Jamie Simpson
- Video: “It’s Too Big- the Biomass Plant Port Hastings NS” by Peter Murphy
- FONCS blog posts on Forest Biomass