Comments on my petition against the use of biomass for power generation - Helga Guderly

My petition against the use of forest biomass for power generation grew out of my frustration with the "green-washing" of policies that keep us going down the same old paths, rather than seeking new ways to mitigate our impact on the environment. Specifically, this winter, at a gathering of provincial ministers seeking a national climate change strategy, Nova Scotia’s Minister of the Environment claimed that our province had made great strides in increasing the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources. She announced that by 2017, Nova Scotia would triple its use of forest biomass for power generation as part of our increasing use of renewable energy. After having seen the forest biomass arriving at the Port Hawkesbury Mill, piles of green, wet wood in truck after truck, after hearing folks speak of the nearby lands being harvested for biomass, after reading about of our poor soils and the slow regeneration of our forests, it just seemed ridiculous. After thinking about this for a while, the only avenue I saw was this electronic petition. It was quite an experience, particularly the period during which the petition went "viral" increasing by 5000 signatures in a few hours, and reaching nearly 29,000 signatures. Many folks provided comments to accompany their signature. These comments strengthen my resolve to work against this misguided practice and for better forestry practices.

Anti-biomass petition comments