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February 20, 2015
On February 16, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory, a Department of Energy laboratory, offered comments on the World Resources Institute’s paper “Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land.” The basic premise of Dr. Searchinger’s paper is that growing crops for bioenergy will impact food availability and cost. (EESI’s response may be found here). There is a distinction to be drawn between biofuels done right and done wrong, but according to Argonne scientists Michael Wang and Jennifer Dunn, “Searchinger and Heimlich bluntly denied a role that bioenergy may play in the future for sustainable environmental development and energy supply.”
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have devoted 20 years to studying life-cycle emissions of various fuels, and have developed the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model, which is the standard for comparing the carbon intensity of fuels, including biofuels. The Argonne scientists recognize that “land is a resource that must be well managed to provide sufficient food, fiber and energy for society,” but by ignoring much of the recent research and evidence on land-use change and efficiencies in biofuels production, Searchinger and Heimlich have missed the mark in their indictment of biofuels.
Drs. Wang and Dunn do agree with WRI that “bioenergy from land extensification with significant soil carbon loss” should not occur – but their results find that examples of biofuels ‘done right’ are numerous. Using their own research as well as the significant body of peer-reviewed work on land-use change, Drs. Wang and Dunn find that:
For more information see:
Comments on Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land by Searchinger and Heimlich, Argonne National Lab
Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land, World Resources Institute