Writings on Biofuels

"The National Fuels Association and two analysts with the U.S. Department of Energy have released public criticisms of recent papers on the land use effects of biofuels.  This paper provides a response."

"Many people have become confused about the prominent role biofuels played in the food crisis of 2008 and are playing again now in the winter of 2010 because different studies have used confusing notions of what is a "cause" or have focused on different effects.  Thisop-ed in the Washington Post tries to bring some clarity.  The price effects of biofuels today are mostly a disequilibrium effect that is tied to the rate of growth in biofuels, not their absolute production levels.  Biofuels have almost doubled the rate of growth in demand for food, and the system is having a hard time keeping up.  If demand growth stopped, prices would come down as farmers caught up -- although their efforts to catch up will cause more land use change."  

"The consulting firm Ecometrica has argued that when biofuels divert existing crops, the diversion should be viewed as generating directly additional carbon that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions because the additional crops would otherwise have decomposed anyway. http://www.ecometrica.co.uk/ecometrica-press/technical-papers/reaching-the-right-conclusion-the-wrong-way-%E2%80%93-reply-to-searchinger/.   This reply explains that crop carbon are decomposed because they are consumed and respired by people and livestock, so whether that reduced consumption is viewed as "direct" or an "indirect" response to price, it could only be an intentional way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions if policymakers wished to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by raising food prices and reducing food consumption and did not wish the food to be replaced.  This reply also explains why reduced consumption is normally the type of response viewed as "indirect" response."  
Searchinger reply to Ecometrica (July 24, 2010)

Questions and Answers - Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error

Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error

Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error - Supporting Materials

This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Scinece (Vol. 326, October 23, 2009, DOIA: 10, 1126/Science. 1178797) www.sciencemag.org

T. Searchinger, R. Heimlich, R.A. Houghton, F. Dong, A. Elobeid, J. Fabiosa, S. Tokgoz, D. Hayes, T. Yu, "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increased Greenhouse Gases Through Land Use Change," Science Express (Feb. 7, 2008)

T. Searchinger, R. Heimlich, R.A. Houghton, F. Dong, A. Elobeid, J. Fabiosa, S. Tokgoz, D. Hayes, T. Yu, "Supporting Materials for 'Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land Use Change,'" Science Express (Feb. 7, 2008)

T. Searchinger, The Impact of Biofuels on Greenhouse Gases, How Land Use Change Alters the Equation (German Marshall Fund Policy Brief, Feb. 7, 2008)

T. Searchinger & R. Heimlich, "Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Soy-Based U.S. Biodiesel When Factoring in Emissions from Land Use Change," (paper prepared for workshop on the lifecycle carbon footprint of biofuels organized by the Farm Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jan. 29, 2008)

This paper summarizes the findings of ten technical studies of biofuels by international and European agencies and institutions. GMF Policy Brief - Summaries of Technical Studies Regarding Biofuels in 2008

Other Biofuels Materials

Letter from Ten Scientists to President Bush Regarding Biofuels (Feb. 7, 2008)