Corn’s clean-energy promise is clashing with its climate footprint

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Gazette or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: America’s heavy reliance on corn — reinforced by federal biofuel policy — is driving significant climate and water pollution, as fertilizer use fuels potent greenhouse gas emissions and contaminates drinking water

🔭 The context: Corn dominates US agriculture and energy policy
• Corn covers around 90 million acres in the US and consumes over two-thirds of all nitrogen fertiliser
• Nitrogen fertilizer releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than CO₂
• More than 40% of US corn is used for ethanol, driven by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
• Agriculture accounts for over 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions, with corn the leading source of agricultural nitrous oxide

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Biofuel policy may be worsening climate change
• Research links the RFS to expanded corn cultivation, heavier fertilizer use, higher emissions, and land-use change
• Some studies find corn ethanol’s climate impact is equal to or worse than gasoline when fertiliser and land impacts are included
• Excess nitrogen runoff is polluting groundwater — in some regions exceeding safe drinking limits
• Global nitrous oxide emissions have risen 40% since 1980, largely driven by fertilizer use

⏭️ What’s next: Policy choices will shape agriculture’s climate footprint
• Conservation practices could sharply cut emissions — but recent federal rollbacks removed key farmer incentives
• Industry groups are pushing to expand ethanol use into higher-blend fuels and aviation
• Experts warn this could lock in a high-emissions system unless farming practices fundamentally change

📈 One stat: Applying conservation practices on just 4% of continuous corn acres in parts of the Midwest could cut emissions equal to removing 850,000 cars from the road.

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