risk Tag

Climate change is putting the availability of biomass fuels and technologies -- a vital alternative to fossil fuels -- at risk, according to new research. The study has found that as temperatures rise, the window of opportunity to maximise the use of biomass from plants, wood and waste as a renewable energy source and an alternative to petrochemicals is closing. Published in Nature and led by researchers at the universities of York and Fudan in China, the study investigated the sustainability of biomass exploitation. The researchers found that if urgent action is not taken to reduce fossil fuels in favour of bioenergy and other renewables, climate change will decrease crop yields, reducing the availability of biomass feedstocks. Reducing food production is also likely to incentivise...