Searchinger et al. (2026): Decades of increased emissions from forest-fuelled BECCS
Timothy D. Searchinger, Liqing Peng, Daniela Russi & Charles Canham, IN: Nature Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01817-8
Should climate policies encourage bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) using wood from existing forests? Although mitigation pathways in integrated assessment models often rely on BECCS fuelled by energy crops, European governments are moving to financially support BECCS sourced instead from existing forests. To estimate its emissions and financial costs, the authors develop a model that transparently tracks carbon flows from forest to end use and allows policymakers to easily alter assumptions.