Sustainable Bioenergy, Farms, and Forests - April 7, 2017

Understanding Land Use Change – Are New Tools Needed?

Are we using the right tools to understand land use change, particularly at the local level, and how can understanding of land use change be improved?

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been around for 10 years, yet the policy continues to be dogged by concerns over its impact to U.S. and foreign land use.  In the United States, the USDA tracks aggregate land use conversion.  However, the impact of growing biofuels feedstocks (primarily corn and soy) on land use change at a local level has been difficult to ascertain.  Understanding of the issue is primarily hampered by the use of databases and tools that were not developed specifically for this task. The result is policy makers and stakeholders have insufficient and perhaps inaccurate information regarding the impacts of the statute on land conversions.

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Headlines: 

1. White House Wants USDA—Not EPA—to Reduce Agricultural Runoff

2. Gasoline Stations Team Up to Fight Ethanol Mandate Change

3. Groups Take Predictable Sides as US Biodiesel Trade War Develops

4. U.S. Agriculture Bets the Farm on Chinese Soy Demand

5. A Concrete Way To See How Climate Change Will Affect Farming

 

 

Upcoming Event: 

How Foreign Climate Aid Benefits the United States

Tuesday, April 11
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

485 Russell Senate Office Building
Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE

Please RSVP to expedite check-in

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing discussing benefits to the United States from deploying foreign aid to vulnerable regions to help them become more resilient to climate change impacts. The briefing will also explore the inner workings of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a multi-lateral effort to mobilize $100 billion in public and private financing for adaptation and mitigation projects in developing nations.

 

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To Contact the Editor: Jessie Stolark at [email protected]

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