1. We object to the proposal on ecological grounds.
Ecological systems are collapsing around the planet. We are living in the age of The Ecological Crisis, the collapse of the ecology, the collapse of the systems of interrelated and interdependent lifeforms on this planet. In that context we must rescue and protect ecologies, in this case forest ecologies.
Native vegetation ‘biofuel’ is literally the native forest ecologies, destroyed and pelletised to use as fuel for furnaces. Native Forest ‘biomass’ for furnace fuel for electricity destroys ecologies and IS Ecologically Unsustainable.
To clear land of native ecologies in this era is not a correct action and a Redbank approval will itself burn 850,000 tonnes of native vegetation each year, though worse yet it will also be a precedent for other power stations to do likewise, leading to even greater destruction of native ecologies.
The proposed changes by Redbank will lead to significant ecological destruction and should be rejected on that basis alone.
Redbank power station must not be permitted to burn vegetation from land clearing and vegetation from native forests.
2. We object to the proposal on atmospheric carbon capture and emissions grounds.
Burning Native forest biomass immediately releases the carbon already captured and stored in the forests, and destroys the forests, prohibiting any further storage.
Burning biomass is 50% more CO2 emissive than burning coal.
Burning biomass is authorised and subsidised by governments to replace coal, greenwashing their unmet carbon reduction promises.
The proposed modification to the application causes significant carbon emissions and carbon sequestration damage and should be rejected on carbon capture and emissions considerations too.
Caldera Environment Centre
