Eiropas Komisija pieņem ES rīcības plānu mežsaimniecībā

Eiropas Komisija pieņem ES rīcības plānu mežsaimniecībā

2006.gada 15.jūnijs.

"Informāciju sagatavoja Eiropas Komisijas pārstāvniecības Latvijā Preses un informācijas nodaļa.

Šodien Eiropas Komisija ir apliecinājusi savu apņemšanos stiprināt noturīgu meža apsaimniekošanu, pieņemot ES rīcības plānu mežsaimniecībā. Rīcības plāns balstās uz pagājušā gada ziņojumu par ES mežu stratēģijas īstenošanu un Padomes secinājumiem šai sakarā. Rīcības plānā galvenā uzmanība pievērsta četriem pamatmērķiem: 1) uzlabot ilgtermiņa konkurētspēju; 2) uzlabot un aizsargāt vidi; 3) veicināt dzīves kvalitātes uzlabošanu un 4) veicināt koordināciju un saziņu. Eiropas Komisija ir ierosinājusi astoņpadsmit galvenos pasākumus, kas kopā ar dalībvalstīm ir jāīsteno piecos gados (2007.-2011.).

Paziņojumu iesniedza lauksaimniecības un lauku attīstības komisāre Marianna Fišere Bēla, piedalījās arī uzņēmējdarbības un rūpniecības komisārs Ginters Ferhoigens, vides komisārs Stavros Dimas, enerģētikas komisārs Andris Piebalgs un zinātnes un pētniecības komisārs Janezs Potočniks. Paziņojumam ir pievienots sīki izstrādāts ziņojums par mežu un mežsaimniecības stāvokli Eiropas Savienībā un par to, kā norit ES rīcības plāna mežsaimniecībā sagatavošana.

'Šis rīcības plāns ir paredzēts, lai dotu lielāku ieguldījumu noturīgā mežu apsaimniekošanā. Mēs vēlamies saglabāt un stiprināt Eiropas mežu daudzfunkcionalitāti, atbalstot labāku un stabilāku preču un pakalpojumu nodrošināšanu iedzīvotājiem', teica komisāre Fišere Bēla.

Ņemot vērā Padomes 1998. gada 15. decembra rezolūciju par Eiropas Savienības mežsaimniecības stratēģiju, rīcības plānā paredzēta sistēma ar mežu saistītām darbībām ES mērogā un dalībvalstu līmenī. To var izmantot arī, koordinējot ES pasākumus un dalībvalstu mežsaimniecības politiku. Apzinoties dažādos dabas, sociālos, ekonomikas un kultūras apstākļus un atšķirīgos īpašumtiesību veidus Eiropas Savienībā, rīcības plānā dažādiem mežu veidi"

Atkritumu poligonu ierīkošanas, poligonu un izgāztuvju apsaimniekošanas un slēgšanas kārtība, un prasības poligonu un izgāztuvju rekultivācijai

13.jūnijā, Ministru Kabineta sēdē tika akceptēts Vides ministrija sagatavotais MK noteikumu projekts „Atkritumu poligonu ierīkošanas, poligonu un izgāztuvju apsaimniekošanas un slēgšanas kārtība, un prasības poligonu un izgāztuvju rekultivācijai”.
Vides ministrijas izstrādātais MK noteikumu projekts paredz noteikt augstākas izvirzāmās prasības administratīvo procedūru veikšanai. Tādā veidā tiks nodrošināta efektīvāka valsts iestāžu kontrole un sabiedrības līdzdalība. Līdzīgi tiek precizētas poligonu būvniecībai izvirzāmās prasības, it īpaši attiecībā uz tehniski ekonomisko pamatojumu sagatavošanu un poligonu tehniskajiem parametriem.
Tāpat noteikumu projekts paredz noteikt atkritumu pieņemšanas kritērijus dažāda veida atkritumu pieņemšanai atkritumu poligonos un izgāztuvēs, tajā skaitā nosakot robežvērtības dažādu bīstamu vielu saturam atkritumos, kā arī izmantojamās mērījumu metodes.
MK noteikumu projekts definē, kādā veidā tiks slēgtas sadzīves atkritumu izgāztuves vai poligoni, nosaka kādas prasības ir jāievēro, sagatavojot attiecīgos rekultivācijas projektus.
Ar šī noteikumu projekta stāšanos spēkā par spēku zaudējušiem tiks atzīti MK 2002.gada 3.janvāra noteikumi Nr.15 “ Noteikumi par prasībām atkritumu poligonu ierīkošanai, kā arī atkritumu poligonu un izgāztuvju apsaimniekošanai, slēgšanai un rekultivācijai ”

New York State to Pursue Cellulosic Ethanol and Energy Crops

New York State to Pursue Cellulosic Ethanol and Energy Crops

The governor also announced that the state is supporting the development of dedicated crops for the biomass energy industry. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets awarded grants of $22,385 for Dutchess County Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell University to try growing a 15-acre crop of switchgrass, and $60,000 for the State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry to develop its first commercial willow plantation. The willow plantation will be located near a wood-burning power plant in Lyonsdale, about 40 miles north of Utica, and managed in cooperation with the power plant. Lyonsdale Biomass is a 19-megawatt power plant that also supplies steam to a nearby paper plant, and is partly owned by Catalyst Renewables. The willow plantation could provide fuel for the power plant or for a cellulosic ethanol facility. In addition, the state awarded a grant of $60,000 to Northern Biodiesel in Ontario, about 10 miles east of Rochester, to develop a rapeseed market for the biodiesel industry. See the Department of Agriculture and Markets press release and the Catalyst Renewables Web site .

Bio-energy: dream or nightmare for biodiversity?

08-06-2006

Bio-energy is a term used to describe energy derived from organic materials—living plants and plant components. Crops grown for bio-energy include traditional crops such as wheat and oilseed rape, but also dedicated energy crops, like short-rotation willow-coppice, unusual grasses and forestry products.

The production of bio-energy is gathering more and more attention as a feasible way of reducing dependence on imported oil and gas and is even being hailed as one of the potential key weapons in the battle against global warming.

As the European Commission brings bio-energy into the spotlight with a view to promoting its production in Europe, BirdLife International has been exploring the issue in depth, to discover what growth in the 'new industry' could really mean for the environment and birds.

“If managed sustainably, the use of biomass, biogas and biofuels could help us to cut greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ariel Brunner, Agriculture Policy Officer at BirdLife International, “However, without adequate regulation and a well developed EU policy on the industry, widespread and rapid uptake of growing crops for bio-energy production could have devastating impacts on the environment.”

Is it really green?

“The great appeal of bioenergy is that it is theoretically a renewable source of energy,” explained Brunner, “Crops can be converted to energy either by being processed into liquid fuel for the transport sector (biofuels) or by being burnt in power plants (biomass). With combustion, carbon dioxide (CO2) is released. Because they are derived from biological material, the carbon released on combustion comes from CO2 absorbed by plant material through the process of photosynthesis. Effectively, producing energy from biofuels or biomass could be seen as ‘recycling’ CO2.”

“However, this rosy picture is over-simplistic. Bioenergy production is never a neutral process when it comes to “greenhouse gases”. During production, processing and transportation of the crops there are many other inputs to consider. Fossil fuels are used to power tractors for working the land; fertilizers and pesticides are needed to grow the energy crops, one of the most potent greenhouse gases N2O, is released from fields that are intensively fertilized, and a lot of energy is needed to convert the crop into fuel. In fact, life-cycle analyses of bioenergy production have shown that with poor management methods, production can actually result in a net increase in the emission of greenhouse gases.”

Bioenergy crops could replace natural habitats

It is not only the carbon balance of bioenergy production that concerns BirdLife. With recent changes in European Agricultural policy, many farmers in Europe are turning to growing bioenergy crops to boost incomes and provide some new rural opportunities. All very important positive benefits for rural communities, but this should not be at the expense of habitats within the agricultural landscape which are important for nature.

A recent assessment of the overall status of birds in Europe by BirdLife International indicates that 43% of all bird species are now in trouble, and that the situation has worsened over the past ten years. Farmland birds in the EU-15 have fared particularly badly experiencing a decline of 32% between 1980 and 2002. Many common farmland birds such as Corn Bunting Milaria calandra, Yellowhammer Emberizia citrinella, Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica and Tree Sparrow Passer montanus have already gone through a sharp or even catastrophic decline in the EU and this is due largely to the intensification of agriculture.

The current rapid expansion of energy crops in Europe often utilizes set-aside land, which had previously been withdrawn from production under the Common Agricultural Policy. Farmers were paid subsidy to provide set-aside land, and these pockets of natural land are currently vital for the survival of birds and other wildlife. In many areas of intensive agriculture, set-asides comprise virtually the only habitat left for many grassland-dependent species, such as the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax – in France this species is breeding almost exclusively on pockets of habitat provided by set-aside land. Farmers are already allowed to grow energy crops on set-aside land, and if further incentives are given to do this, Europe might lose hundreds of thousands of hectares of key wildlife habitat within a few years.

A serious global issue

Ariel Brunner points out the global implications of increasing use of bio-energy: “The rush to produce bio-energy crops is alarming for biodiversity outside Europe too. Some of the most promising crops for producing biofuels are oil palm and Soy, two rapidly expanding tropical monocultures which are amongst the chief causes of tropical deforestation. A huge surge in demand for biodiesel could drive even further the large scale clearing of forests in key biodiversity hotspots such as Indonesia or the Brazilian Cerrado.”

The Indonesian Government has just announced plans to clear three million hectares of forest to create palm oil plantations dedicated to biodiesel production. Losing such large areas of precious habitat will serve a death sentence to threatened bird species like the Sumatran Ground-cuckoo Carpococcyx viridis and also threatened mammal species such as the Orang-utan Pongo pygmaeus.

The EU sets the precedence for regulation of the industry

Bio-energy has been in the spotlight in the EU for the last few months. The European Commission is keen to promote its production and use. Not only does the Commission want to encourage the uptake of ‘greener energy production’ but also appease European farmers, in particular from the sugar sector; who have been affected by recent reforms of agricultural policies and will experience cuts in subsidies in certain sectors. The Commission published an Action Plan on the promotion of biomass use in energy production in December last year and more recently in February this year, it issued a strategy on the promotion of biofuels.

BirdLife has welcomed the Commission’s approach as a step forward in the fight against climate change, but has expressed serious concerns about the delivery ‘on the ground’. Both initial EU proposals acknowledge the threats posed by the development of the bioenergy industry to biodiversity but fail to outline a clear strategy to address them. BirdLife is asking the European Commission to set clear environmental standards to ensure that bio-energy production really does bring a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions while preventing harmful impacts on biodiversity. BirdLife wants an accreditation system that traces how bioenergy and biofuels have been produced and screens them against environmental standards. This however, is meeting with strong resistance from sections of the farm lobby.

Clairie Papazoglou , BirdLife’s Head of European Division, said: “We are concerned that the new proposals remain too generic to offer real guarantees that wildlife will not be harmed. The EU can ensure it doesn’t go this way by putting in place a strong system of safeguards. These proposals provide a step in the right direction, but only the bare bones of environmental protection are currently there.”

“We want to avoid the dream of ‘green energy’ being transformed into a nightmare for biodiversity.” Ariel Brunner said, “The EU has pledged to ensure that biofuels are sustainably produced and we shall be watching closely whether this declaration is followed by concrete action. Environmental protection must not be lost in the EU’s drive to promote biofuels.”

U.K. seeks to unlock the power of plants

LONDON, England (UPI) -- Viewed by U.S. President Bush as one of the key solutions to the United States` reliance on oil, the power of plants is capturing the imagination of the world`s industrialized nations as the scramble for sustainable sources of energy intensifies.

In Britain, the sight of fields of giant grass swaying in the breeze could soon become commonplace, as the government turns to crops as an energy source that could help tackle the effects of climate change.

Biomass products such as miscanthus -- also known as elephant grass -- and short rotation coppice willow are already helping to fuel power stations and heat public buildings such as schools and hospitals, accounting for around 1 percent of Britain`s electricity and heat generation.

But now ministers are looking to promote the energy possibilities of plants as they seek to increase the proportion of Britain`s supplies derived from renewable sources.

In late April, the government announced a 12-point plan to unlock the potential of biomass -- products from crops, trees and agricultural waste -- which it said was an important element of Britain`s energy future.

Measures included a capital grant scheme for biomass boilers; the establishment of a new Biomass Energy Center to provide expert information and advice, along with further grant support for biomass supply chains and a commitment to consider using biomass heating in government buildings.

'We are aiming for 10 percent of our electricity to come from renewable sources by 2010 and double that by 2020 so biomass will have an increasingly important role to play in the U.K.`s future energy mix,' Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said.

Lord Bach, minister for sustainable farming and food, said: 'There is enormous potential in biomass, to generate renewable energy, to help the environment and to provide another possible market for our farmers.

'We know that biomass is not the answer to every issue facing us but we should be getting much more from this valuable resource.'

A government task force concluded in November that using biomass for heating could reduce Britain`s carbon emissions by almost three million tons every year - a reduction the government says is equivalent to taking 3.25 million cars of the road

In May, fuel company Greenergy announced that it had started taking deliveries of SRC willow wood chips for a 30 megawatt biomass power station in northeast England. The plant, due to come on-line next year, will consume 55,000 wet tons of SRC wood chip annually, as well as 170,000 tons of forestry logs, sawmill chips and recycled timber. It is expected to provide enough power for approximately 30,000 homes.

Greenergy says biomass can not only contribute to tackling the climate change crisis, but could also bolster the struggling agricultural sector. British farmers saw an overall loss of income of 8.9 percent last year, following European Union cuts to agricultural subsidies. In the era of globalization, where domestic farmers increasingly find themselves unable to compete with cheap foreign imports, diversification through energy crops could provide at least part of the answer.

The company estimates that short rotation coppice alone could occupy five to 10 times its current area in Britain -- 3000 to 5000 hectares -- by 2010. Biomass plantations require less maintenance than traditional crops, offering farmers an ideal opportunity to boost their income while still retaining time for other ventures.

Willie McGhee, a biomass trader at Greenergy, said: 'Biomass will become an increasingly important market as demand rises: demand for supply of feedstock to the next generation of biomass power stations; demand for replacement feed stock at coal fired power stations and demand for biomass as a fossil fuel substitute for commercial and domestic heating.

'It is a market that creates new and sustainable opportunities for U.K. farmers and other suppliers of renewable or recycled wood stock whilst providing a U.K. grown alternative to oil, gas and coal.'

Britain is also turning to plants for cleaner transport fuels. Crops such as rapeseed produce oil that can be used to make biodiesel, while wheat can be used to produce bioethanol. While the fuels can be used in pure form in some vehicles, they are generally mixed with petrol or diesel.

From December 2005 to March 2006, Greenergy supplied 4.5 million gallons of bioethanol and biodiesel as part of standard fuel blends, sold predominately through supermarket forecourts or to fleet customers. The company said the emissions savings for the quarter were 41,226 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking more than 50,000 average family cars off the road for three months.

But there is a question mark over whether the public will support the changes in the British landscape resulting from increased cultivation of energy crops. The aversion of rural dwellers to anything that alters the appearance of the countryside is well-known, having proved a major obstacle to the erection of wind farms.

It is primarily in their unusual height that energy crops differ from conventional plantations. Miscanthus, a woody grass originally from Asia with very high growth rates, can grow to about 11.5 feet, while short rotation coppice, densely planted varieties of willow, or, less commonly, poplar, reaches a height of around 13 feet.

Angela Karp, deputy head of the plant and invertebrate ecology division at Rothamsted Research, said large scale land-use change from arable crops and grassland to energy crops would have wide implications on the appearance of the countryside.

But, she argued: 'It is clear that, if we are careful where they are grown, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Would we prefer more nuclear power stations or wind farms on the landscape?'