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Study Reveals Wood-Burning Power Emits Twice Carbon of Gas

4/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

A Nature Sustainability study finds that burning wood for power emits twice as much carbon as fossil gas, even with carbon capture.
The findings challenge UK plans to subsidize wood-burning power and say negative emissions could take 150 years.
Drax, the UK's largest biomass plant, received nearly £1 billion in subsidies last year and paused carbon-capture investments.
The UK government disputes the study's conclusions and calls for sustainable bioenergy practices.

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Story summary

A Nature Sustainability study finds that burning wood for power emits twice as much carbon as fossil gas, even with carbon capture.
The findings challenge UK plans to subsidize wood-burning power and say negative emissions could take 150 years.
Drax, the UK's largest biomass plant, received nearly £1 billion in subsidies last year and paused carbon-capture investments.
The UK government disputes the study's conclusions and calls for sustainable bioenergy practices.