RESEARCH: Bioenergy Policies Must Not Ignore Indirect Land Use Emissions
October 30th, 2009 by CATF,Article: T Searchinger et al (2009). Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error. Science. Vol.326. no.5972, pp.527-528
In “Fixing a Critical Climate Error,” a collection of leading energy experts found that the GHG emissions accounting method used in the Kyoto Protocol and in many national-level policies fails to consider emissions from land use when biomass for energy is harvested or grown. Instead, the policies treat all bioenergy as carbon neutral — even though there are significant differences in net emissions depending on the source of the biomass being used and its net land-use effects.
NPR coverage: Scientists: Biofuels Laws May Harm Environment
RESEARCH: Modeling Uncertainty Is Not a Reasonable Basis for Ignoring ILUC Emissions
July 14th, 2009 by CATF,Article: T Searchinger (2009). Why Uncertainty in Modeling Indirect Land Use Change From Biofuels Cannot Justify Ignoring It. Princeton University & German Marshall Fund of the U.S.
An analysis by Tim Searchinger explains why modeling uncertainty does not logically or practically justify ignoring overseas emissions from the land use change associated with US biofuel production mandates.
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Study: Land Use-Related GHG Emissions from Biodiesel Production Overwhelm Climate Benefits
February 7th, 2008 by CATF,A Clean Air Task Force-supported study by Tim Searchinger and Ralph Heimlich looks at a critical but under-explored issue in biofuels and climate: the effect of increasing demand for arable land to grow biofuels crops. The study concludes that the carbon dioxide releases from land use change – that is, from the land clearing that is needed to support biofuel production – overwhelm the emissions reductions typically associated with biodiesel use. The biodiesel study is a companion piece to an article by Searchinger et al. that focuses on the land use-related climate impacts of ethanol production. The ethanol study was published in the journal Science on February 7, 2008.
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