Environment
The Kyoto Accord emphasizes alternative fuels such as wood biomass as it is environmentally friendly and advantageous for the following reasons:
I. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane, metals and other gases in the atmosphere. Most scientists believe that this will lead to a general warming of the world’s climate, a phenomenon known as the enhanced greenhouse effect or, more simply, the greenhouse effect.
II. Biomass is typically considered to be greenhouse-neutral, which means it neither adds to nor reduces greenhouse gases. This is because, theoretically at least, all the carbon dioxide that was removed from the atmosphere by the growing plants is later released when biomass fuel is burnt.
III. On the other hand, biomass could be greenhouse-negative and help reduce greenhouse gases in two ways:
First, by substituting a renewable resource for fossil fuels – for example, using wood biomass, instead of petroleum – we could achieve a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Second, if wood biomass is left to rot – as in a landfill site – it produces methane, which traps heat more efficiently than carbon dioxide and is therefore a more potent greenhouse gas. By capturing the methane and using it for energy we produce carbon dioxide, thereby reducing (but not eliminating) the impact on the enhanced greenhouse effect.
IV. Burning of biomass does not emit sulfur which is the primary cause of acid rain.
Source: Australian Academy of Science