Biomasses energy - Assignment Example

Biomasses energy The use of biomass for large production of energy affects the absorption and release of carbon. This is evident when trees are cut down in a large amount as an alternative energy. First, clearing forest in the name of using trees for energy production will definitely lead to carbon pollution. Burning of trees in power plants will lead to release of carbon they have accumulated for a long period. For example, it has been found that freshly cut trees comprises large amount of water and hence burning such wood would emit about forty percent more of carbon pollution as compared to other sources such as coal (Greene and Lyutse 2).

Hence, there is increased release of carbon to the atmosphere. On the other hand, the reliance of biomass such as cutting whole tree will lead to a reduced intake of carbon. Most of the biomass is generally received from the forest (Greene and Lyutse 1). Forest is said to play a significant role as carbon sinks. It absorbs large amount of carbon that protects from global warming. Hence, cutting trees as a source of biomass will mean reduced carbon sink and hence more amount of carbon will not be absorbed.

The Kaya concept is an equation used to determine the rate of carbon dioxide release to the environment based on the economic activity of nay given country. The rate of energy use of the country is shown to have a strong link to carbon intensity of that energy use (FREE 1). As most of the countries join the league of emerging economies, it is expected that there will be an increased emissions of products the most significant being carbon dioxide. This is because an increased out put per capita is expected to occur over an increased use of energy.

Because of the increase, the concept makes various suggestions to the emerging economies. One of the significant suggestions is for these countries to engage in ways of reducing energy intensity. One alternative for the countries is to adopt increased efficiency in energy use. The other suggestion is to change consumer behavior when it comes to energy use. The changes are said to be real through adoption of ‘green energy’ in the future. The wood industry is a legitimate player in biofuels due to its heavy carbon content.

First, the wood industry has more reliable energy in the name of biopower as compared to other sources of energy that have been heavily used in the past (Union of Concerned Scientist(UCS) 1). The energy is beneficial to society once it is used in a sustainable way. The use of this form of power in a sustainable way means that there will be less damage to the ecosystem. The energy derived from the wood industry will help in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released in the environment. The legitimacy of this new source of energy is also clear, as it is possible to reproduce.

This is because this energy is derived from the sun and can reproduce over a small period of time (UCS 1). Moreover, the burning of woods means that the energy will be released to the environment to release more power. This is because burning carbohydrates released carbon dioxide and water as byproducts. The byproducts are released together with energy that is recaptured by sun for more energy.Works CitedFREE. “Green energy: a solution for climate change?” Freepolicybriefs.org. Web. Greene, Nathanael and Lyutse, Sasha.

“Forest Facts.” Nrdc.org. Web. Union of Concerned Scientist. “How Biomass Energy Works.” Ucsusa.org. Web.