Global demand for forest biomass is surging, but the financial incentives offered to projects that burn wood for electricity are under fire on the international stage in Cali, Colombia. In many countries, including Canada, biomass electricity generation is included in the sustainable, clean energy toolbox, because forests can regrow over time… However, biomass critics say this logic is flawed and point out that most of the world’s forests are already being over-logged and ravaged by fire. Canada’s forests now emit more carbon than they can absorb. Harvesting wood for pellets to be burned risks intensifying and expanding industrial logging, which can result in deforestation and degradation of forest ecosystems. This runs counter to science that says preserving forest ecosystems is key for both climate and biodiversity. Activists at the ongoing United Nations biodiversity negotiations urged world leaders to make ending subsidies for biomass supply and power generation a priority.