USDA Secretary Vilsack Statement on National Climate Assessment

Biofuels Journal


Date Posted: May 6, 2014


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Leaked IPCC climate plan to worsen global warming - ecologists

TheGuardian
EarthInsight
by Nafeez Ahmed
April 7, 2014




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U.N. report explores bioenergy's potential for pulling CO2 out of the air

E&E Publishing, LLC

Umair Irfan, E&E reporter

ClimateWire: Thursday, April 3, 2014


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New research links global crop data in climate change model accounting for emissions mitigation

Phys.org


March 31, 2014


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Amazonian drought conditions add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

University of Colorado at Boulder
February 5, 2014
Environment, Institutes, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)


- See more at: http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2014/02/05/amazonian-drought-conditions-add-carbon-dioxide-atmosphere#sthash.5Z5rwKIV.dpuf

Researchers set out path for global warming reversal

PhysOrg.com

July 10, 2013 

 

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Obama unveils climate change action plan

Ethanol Producer Magazine

By Erin Voegele | June 25, 2013

 

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Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation and Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions announce funding for three biological projects

Biofuels Digest

Jim Lane | June 6, 2013

 

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Climate Change Threatens U.S. Ethanol Policy

Laboratory Equipment

Tue, 06/04/2013 - 7:00am

Rice Univ.

 

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Fact Sheet: G-8 Action on Energy and Climate Change

Newsroom America
By Newsroom America Feeds at 19 May 18:59

At the Camp David Summit, G-8 Leaders recognized that the development of and universal access to environmentally safe, sustainable, secure, and affordable sources of energy is essential to global economic growth and to their overall efforts to address climate change. As such, they identified several actions for the G-8 to take together:

Pursue a Comprehensive Energy Strategy – Safely

Recognize the value of simultaneously pursuing a wide variety of energy sources in order to meet energy demands, acknowledging each nation’s different needs and different approaches. In pursuing an appropriate mix from all of the above, we recognize that different energy sources have different inherent risks and must be developed in a safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner. Support the G-20 Global Marine Environment Protection initiative to develop a Best Practices Sharing Mechanism (GMEP Mechanism), available to all interested countries and stakeholders, for the exchange of best practices for offshore oil and gas exploration and development in an effort to help prevent future accidents. Welcome and agree to review the International Energy Agency’s work on potential best practices for natural gas development as an input into our effort to share information on strategies for its environmentally safe and sustainable production. Recognize the important work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), particularly full implementation of its Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, and strengthened cooperation between governments, the nuclear energy industry, and the IAEA. Encourage all Parties to make full use of the upcoming extraordinary meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety to enhance and strengthen the effectiveness of the international legal framework by the most efficient and practicable means available. Notes the importance of the upcoming December 2012 Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety.

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Model forecasts long-term impacts of forest land-use decisions

Phys.org
May 9, 2012

The drive to develop crops for use as biofuel, continues to raise questions about additional uses of forest land. A cutting edge computer model developed at North Carolina State University offers detailed insight to predict the environmental impact – along with understanding forest ecosystem response to global climate change.

"We think the model will help policy makers and forest managers make informed decisions to maintain forest productivity while minimizing the environmental impact of managed forest plantations," says Dr. Shiying Tian, a Postdoctoral Researcher at NC State, and lead author of a paper on the model, just released in the Journal Of Environmental Quality. "It also will help us understand how these forest systems will respond if we see changes in temperature or precipitation related to climate change," says Dr. Mohamed Youssef, Assistant Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State, and co-author.

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Unresolved clash over indirect land use change leaves EU biofuels policy adrift

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 7, 2012

In the EU, a clash between the Climate Commission and the Energy Department, over indirect land use change, has left policymakers were unable to agree on an emissions accounting scheme revision needed to finally establish which feedstocks will be considered acceptable in meeting the EU’s biofuel targets.

The EU industry, which has reached $16M in annual sales, depends currently on a mix primarily of palm, soybean and rapeseed, for biodiesel production, and all feedstocks would be in jeopardy under proposed indirect land use change provisions. The EU is facing difficulties in meeting targets without access to its major feedstocks, while at the same time emissions caps aimed at oil refiners are pushing refiners towards greater use of biofuels.

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Purdue / Stanford Study Finds Climate Change to Be Big Contributor to Corn Price Volatility in Coming Years

Grainnet.com
Date Posted: April 23, 2012

West Lafayette, IN—A study from Purdue and Stanford university researchers predicts that future climate scenarios may cause significantly greater volatility in corn prices, which would be intensified by the federal biofuels mandate.

The findings, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, show that severely hot conditions in corn-growing regions and extreme climate events that are expected to impact supply would cause swings in corn prices.

When coupled with federal mandates for biofuel production, the price volatility could increase by about 50 percent over the period from 2020-2040 as compared to recent history.

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Proper soil management needed to combat climate change

pork network
Kansas State University Extension Updated: April 20, 2012

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Soils and plants play a significant role in global climate change, said Chuck Rice, K-State university distinguished professor of agronomy. And the relationship is a two-way street since climate change also can affect food and fiber production in the future, he added.

These are some of the most critical issues to consider on Earth Day 2012, he said, since the issue will only grow more complex with time if it is not addressed soon.

“Food and energy security, water availability and quality, and climate change adaptation and mitigation are some of the greatest challenges facing our society,” Rice said. “Appropriate management of soils offers the potential to provide solutions for each of these challenges.”

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Large differences in the climate impact of biofuels

EurekaAlert!
Public release date: 15-Nov-2011

When biomass is combusted the carbon that once was bound in the growing tree is released into the atmosphere. For this reason, bioenergy is often considered carbon dioxide neutral. Research at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, however, shows that this is a simplification. The use of bioenergy may affect ecosystem carbon stocks, and it can take anything from 2 to 100 years for different biofuels to achieve carbon dioxide neutrality.

"Using a tree as biofuel creates a carbon dioxide debt that must be "paid back" before the fuel can be considered to be carbon dioxide neutral. Energy forest is fully neutralised after 3-5 years, while other trees grow so slowly that it can take up to 100 years before they achieve carbon dioxide neutrality" says Lars Zetterberg of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Gothenburg.

The use of bioenergy affects ecosystem carbon stocks over time in either a positive or negative way. Biofuels where the combustion related emissions are compensated rapidly have a lower climate impact than fuels for which it takes a long time for the emissions to be compensated. Despite this, the difference in climate impacts between slow and rapid biofuels is rarely highlighted in political contexts. Emissions from bioenergy are, for example, not included in countries' commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.

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UF technique to help pine forests adapt to climate change, bioenergy use

University of Florida News
Thursday, October 6, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A breakthrough in pine tree breeding will lead to forests better adapted to climate change and bioenergy use, University of Florida researchers report.

The improved forests will stem from a genetic technique the researchers have developed that can create new tree varieties in half the time it takes current breeding methods.

The technique, detailed in a study published online Wednesday by the journal New Phytologist, is expected to increase the security and competitiveness of the U.S. forestry industry.

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New method to account for CO2 emissions from biomass combustion in bioenergy systems

http://www.7thspace.com/
Published on: 2011-03-22

CO2 emissions resulting from bioenergy production have traditionally been excluded from most emission inventories and environmental impact studies because bioenergy is carbon- and climate- neutral as long as CO2 emissions from biofuel combustion are sequestered by growing biomass. Its climate impact has not therefore been considered.

Cherubini and coauthors propose that CO2 emissions from biomass combustion for bioenergy should no longer be excluded from Life Cycle Assessment studies or be assumed to have the same global warming potential as anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Carbon dioxide is emitted when biomass is burnt and the sequestration in the new vegetation can be spread for up to several decades in the case of slow-growing biomass, like forests.

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Scientists identify new implications for perennial bioenergy crops

Eureka Alert
Arizona State University
Feb. 28, 2011

Research shows a conversion from annual to perennial bioenergy crops has broader implications beyond just the impact on carbon
TEMPE, Ariz. – A team of researchers from Arizona State University, Stanford University and Carnegie Institution for Science has found that converting large swaths of land to bioenergy crops could have a wide range of effects on regional climate.

In an effort to help wean itself off fossil fuels, the U.S. has mandated significant increases in renewable fuels, with more than one-third of the domestic corn harvest to be used for conversion to ethanol by 2018. But concerns about effects of corn ethanol on food prices and deforestation had led to research suggesting that ethanol be derived from perennial crops, like the giant grasses Miscanthus and switchgrass. Nearly all of this research, though, has focused on the effects of ethanol on carbon dioxide emissions, which drive global warming.

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Clinton urges caution against increased biofuels production

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill February 25, 2011

Former President Bill Clinton drew quick criticism from the ethanol and corn industries following remarks he made regarding biofuels during a speech delivered to attendees of the USDA’s Agricultural Forum on Feb. 23. While his comments concentrated largely on the potential effects of climate change to agricultural production, Clinton added that biofuels production could also affect food production.

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UT analysis advocates linking climate, bioenergy policies

Southeast Farm Press
By Margot Emery, University of Tennessee
Nov. 11, 2010 2:03pm

•UT analysis advocates linking climate, bioenergy policies
•Standard to be met by 2025 >
• The study, “Implications of Energy and Carbon Policies for Agriculture and Forestry Sectors,”found that a Renewable Electricity Standard could generate $14 billion in accumulated additional revenues for agriculture and forestry, increasing the demand for and production of dedicated energy crops for biomass feedstocks.

• The study goes on to show that a Renewable Electricity Standard could create an additional $215 billion of additional economic activity, more than 700,000 jobs and $84 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product.

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