Sourcing biomass for carbon removal

What this episode covers

Dr. Bodhi Cabillo, a senior forest scientist at Carbon Direct, explains the complexities of sourcing biomass for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in her report, 'A Buyer’s Guide to Sustainable Biomass Sourcing for Carbon Dioxide Removal.' She highlights the critical supply-demand mismatch by 2050, where demand for biomass could exceed supply by 11 to 16 times, making concepts like 'waste wood' misleading. Cabillo outlines four key principles for sustainable sourcing: ensuring oversight and transparency through chain of custody, minimizing negative social and environmental externalities, avoiding land-use risks by analyzing carbon stocks at the regional landscape level, and preventing market distortions by prioritizing byproducts over dedicated crops.