Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are created over millions of years through natural decay. This process means that carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur are retained in the material. When we burn fossil fuel, these elements are released directly back into the atmosphere creating greenhouse gases.
Biomass is created from organic material collected before decay. The biomass absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere, but retains the carbon in the material that goes to make the biomass.
When we burn biomass the carbon is released back into the earth’s atmosphere and reunites with the oxygen, completing the carbon cycle. So the net carbon balance for the production, transport and use of biomass in energy generation is generally positive, whether the biomass is produced locally or imported. We like to think of it as carbon recycling.