INVESTIGADORES
PIÑEIRO Gervasio
artículos
Título:
Set-asides can be better climate investment than corn ethanol
Autor/es:
PIÑEIRO, G; JOBBAGY, E.G.; BAKER, J; MURRAY, B; JACKSON, R.B.
Revista:
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
Editorial:
ESA
Referencias:
Año: 2009 p. 277 - 282
ISSN:
1051-0761
Resumen:
Although various studies have shown that corn ethanol reduces greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions by displacing fossil fuel use, many of these studies fail to include how land-use
history affects the net carbon balance through changes in soil carbon content. We evaluated the
effectiveness and economic value of corn and cellulosic ethanol production for reducing net
GHG emissions when produced on lands with different land-use histories, comparing these
strategies with reductions achieved by set-aside programs such as the Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP). Depending on prior land use, our analysis shows that C releases from the soil
after planting corn for ethanol may in some cases completely offset C gains attributed to biofuel
generation for at least 50 years. More surprisingly, based on our comprehensive analysis of 142
soil studies, soil C sequestered by setting aside former agricultural land was greater than the C
credits generated by planting corn for ethanol on the same land for 40 years and had equal or
greater economic net present value. Once commercially available, cellulosic ethanol produced in
set-aside grasslands should provide the most efficient tool for GHG reduction of any scenario
we examined. Our results suggest that conversion of CRP lands or other set-aside programs to
corn ethanol production should not be encouraged through greenhouse gas policies.