Areas of concern and disagreement in the climate effects of bioenergy from forests

Abstract

Bioenergy from forests (BEF) is widely promoted as a significant contributor to the global renewable energy transition and a primary pathway of achieving climate goals. However, the climate effects of BEF remain deeply contested due to the complexity of the BEF system that requires a multitude of methodological choices and assumptions to contextualize. The resulting divergent conclusions across studies generated scientific disagreement and policy concerns. This review provides a holistic synthesis of the environmental, economic, and social contexts shaping the climate effects of BEF. We first conducted a bibliometric analysis of BEF-related articles to map research trends and dominant paradigms, resulting in four major research clusters spanning forestry systems, bioenergy production, bioeconomy interactions, and emerging climate solutions. Building on this overview, we identifies six key areas of concern and disagreement that critically influence BEF climate assessments: system boundaries, spatial and temporal scales, reference systems, feedstock sourcing, effects of market changes, and social impacts. We provide methodological recommendations for the six aspects. For each area, we articulate contrasting perspectives, underlying assumptions, and empirical evidence, highlighting how methodological choices can lead to fundamentally different conclusions regarding BEF’s climate performance. We provide methodological recommendations to improve comparability, transparency, and policy relevance of BEF assessments. By clarifying sources of disagreement and framing BEF within a broader sustainability context, this work aims to reduce confusion and support more informed, evidence-based decision-making on the future role of BEF in climate mitigation strategies.

Keywords

Wood biomass / renewable energy / bioeconomy / forest industry / climate change mitigation / environmental impact

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