Contrasting with its previous declarations, the German federal government has decided that it will not be developing a national biomass strategy for the time being. This information was revealed in responses from the Federal Environment Ministry following a parliamentary inquiry raised by the Left party, as reported by the Rheinische Post.
While the government acknowledged that the sustainable production and efficient use of biomass hold “great importance,” the Ministry subsequently stated that developing a national strategy is currently not planned. This decision stands in contrast to an earlier announcement made by a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs this summer, who had indicated that a biomass strategy would come to the cabinet “in due course.”
Nevertheless, the federal government continues to emphasize that exploiting sustainable domestic potential can help reduce reliance on imports of fossil fuels and energy. These goals are being addressed through a range of measures, including initiatives within the national climate protection program.
However, the Left party is critical of the lack of a comprehensive overarching strategy. Parliamentary representative Violetta Bock told the Rheinische Post that while the government promotes “technology neutrality” as a sustainable savior-implying that biomass and green gas should rescue the climate-it has no actual strategy to back up this claim. She further added that since it is unclear where these valuable resources will come from and how the resulting increased demand will be met, the rollout of biomass and green gas cannot be reasonably implemented in an environmentally sustainable manner.
