Corn-based ethanol, which for years has been mixed in huge quantities into gasoline sold at American gas pumps, is likely a bigger contributor to global warming than straight gasoline, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, on Feb. 14. The study contradicts previous research commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that showed ethanol and other biofuels to be relatively green. President Biden's administration is reviewing policies on biofuels as part of a broader effort to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050 to fight climate change. “Corn ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel,” said Dr. Tyler Lark, assistant scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment and lead author of the study. The research, funded in part by the National Wildlife Federation and U.S. Department of Energy, found ethanol is at least 24 percent more carbon-intensive than gasoline due to emissions resulting from land use changes to grow corn, along with processing and combustion. (Source: Reuters 02/14/22) U.S. corn-based ethanol worse for the climate than gasoline, study finds | Reuters
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