I am deeply concerned with…

I am deeply concerned with the wood pellet industry rising from harvesting round wood to produce electricity. Wood pellets are marketed as a clean energy alternative. The government and industry claim that only waste wood is used to manufacture wood pellets, but the truth is more whole trees from primary, boreal forests are being logged to meet the demands of this growing industry. Peak Renewables is trying to do the same thing in Fort Nelson, BC. In BC, people are already opening their eyes to this problem.

In February 2020, 500 scientists raised their voices to the European Union and the world to stop burning trees and a climate solution. There are numerous scientific articles from reputable sources that argue that burning wood is less efficient than burning coal- it produces more CO2 than coal, specially round wood (as it has more moisture content than wood waste). - see article link attached.

Many jurisdictions around the world argue that burning wood for Bioenergy is carbon neutral. This argument assumes Forestry residues will decompose if not burned for energy. Studies have argued this assumption fails to include biogenic carbon emissions in the equation and is not a true representation of the carbon emissions of wood pellets. See link study attached

The wood pellet industry is increasing deforestation of our forests, while we should be focused on preserving them. The Ontario government argues that the wood pellet industry will provide alternative employment for fossil fuel workers, but these would be jobs in an industry that dumps more carbon into the atmosphere than what it's replacing. We need truly green jobs! Invest in solar, wind, carbon sequestration!! Our planet can’t afford more CO2 in the atmosphere.