Clear Cut: Burning Forests for Energy Doesn’t Stack Up

Wood pellets! This fast-growing but little-known source of energy has flourished in the past two decades. With tax breaks and subsidies, corporations in the United States clear cut forests and produce industrial scale wood pellets. They then ship their product to Europe and the UK to be burned in former coal-fired utilities. What is the result? Do wood pellets stack up as a renewable energy source? This lecture provides data to argue that the result is worse than coal and is exacerbating the climate crisis.

The Weston Roundtable is made possible by a generous donation from Roy F. Weston, a highly accomplished UW-Madison alumnus. Designed to promote a robust understanding of sustainability science, engineering, and policy, these interactive lectures are co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Office of Sustainability.