A recent IPCC report emphasized bioenergy with carbon capture storage (BECCS) as a key technology for staying below 1.5°C or 2°C global warming, yet another IPCC report highlights high risks of BECCS in the land domain. Here, we contrast insights from these reports with other recent literature and demonstrate that BECCS bears additional risks for biodiversity, livelihoods, and intertemporal carbon balances. We point out that the majority of scenarios that meet the goals of the Paris agreements exceed sustainability and precautionary thresholds in land and BECCS potentials. Risks may be best avoided by demand-side- driven rapid decarbonization and less land-intensive carbon dioxide removal technologies.