Use of U.S. croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases through emissions from land-use change

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dc.contributor.authorSearchinger, T.en
dc.contributor.authorHeimlich, R.en
dc.contributor.authorHoughton, R. A.en
dc.contributor.authorDong, F.en
dc.contributor.authorElobeid, A.en
dc.contributor.authorFabiosa, J.en
dc.contributor.authorTokgoz, S.en
dc.contributor.authorHayes, D.en
dc.contributor.authorYu, T. H.en
dc.contributor.departmentSustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Knowledgebaseen
dc.coverage.spatialUnited Statesen
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-19T19:31:28Zen
dc.date.available2016-04-19T19:31:28Zen
dc.date.issued2008en
dc.descriptionMetadata only recorden
dc.description.abstractMost prior studies have found that substituting biofuels for gasoline will reduce greenhouse gases because biofuels sequester carbon through the growth of the feedstock. These analyses have failed to count the carbon emissions that occur as farmers worldwide respond to higher prices and convert forest and grassland to new cropland to replace the grain (or cropland) diverted to biofuels. By using a worldwide agricultural model to estimate emissions from land-use change, we found that corn-based ethanol, instead of producing a 20% savings, nearly doubles greenhouse emissions over 30 years and increases greenhouse gases for 167 years. Biofuels from switchgrass, if grown on U.S. corn lands, increase emissions by 50%. This result raises concerns about large biofuel mandates and highlights the value of using waste products.en
dc.format.mimetypetext/plainen
dc.identifier3433en
dc.identifier.citationScience 319(5867): 1238-1240en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151861en
dc.identifier.issn0036-8075en
dc.identifier.issn1095-9203en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/67542en
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherSciencexpressen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectCarbon sequestrationen
dc.subjectLand use planningen
dc.subjectEnvironmental impactsen
dc.subjectRenewable energyen
dc.subjectBiomass energyen
dc.subjectEconomic impactsen
dc.subjectLand-use emissionsen
dc.subjectBiofuelsen
dc.subjectLand use changeen
dc.subjectGovernanceen
dc.titleUse of U.S. croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases through emissions from land-use changeen
dc.typeAbstracten
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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