Biomass: the miracle solution?

The European Commission's Biomass Action Plan should reduce oil imports by 8%, prevent greenhouse gas emissions of 209 million tons CO2-equivalent per year and create up to 300,000 new job. Too good to be true? The Commission adopted the Biomass Action Plan on 7 December 2005. The main objective of the Action Plan is to double the use of bio-energy sources (wood, wastes, agricultural crops) in the EU's energy mix by 2010. Currently, the EU meets about 4% of its energy needs from biomass. The plan outlines 31 measures to promote biomass in heating and cooling, electricity production and transport (biofuels).