Editing IPCC:AR6/WGIII/Chapter-7 (section)

=== FAQ 7.3 | What are potential impacts of large-scale establishment of dedicated bioenergy plantations and crops and why is it so controversial? ===

The potential of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) remains a focus of debate with several studies evaluating the level at which BECCS could be sustainably implemented, published since AR5. BECCS involves sequestering carbon through plant growth (i.e., in trees or crops) and capturing the carbon generated when this biomass is processed for power or fuel. The captured carbon then requires long-term storage in for example, geological, terrestrial or ocean reservoirs, or in products. While appearing to create a net removal of carbon from the atmosphere, BECCS requires land, water and energy which can create adverse side effects at scale. Controversy has arisen because some of the models calculating the energy mix required to keep the temperature to 1.5°C have included BECCS at very large scales as a means of both providing energy and removing carbon from the atmosphere to offset emissions from industry, power, transport or heat. For example, studies have calculated that for BECCS to achieve 11.5 GtCO 2 -eq per year of carbon removal in 2100, as envisaged in one scenario, 380–700 Mha or 25–46% of all the world’s arable and cropland would be needed. In such a situation, competition for agricultural land seriously threatens food production and food security, while also impacting biodiversity, water and soil quality, and landscape aesthetic value. More recently however, the scenarios for BECCS have become much more realistic, though concerns regarding impacts on food security and the environment remain, while the reliability of models is uncertain due to methodological flaws. Improvements to models are required to better capture wider environmental and social impacts of BECCS in order to ascertain its sustainable contribution in emissions pathways. Additionally, the opportunity for other options that could negate very large-scale deployment of BECCS, such as other carbon dioxide removal measures or more stringent emission reductions in other sectors, could be explored within models.

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