Haley Leslie-Bole

People around the globe are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change through more severe storms, extreme heat, wildfires and flooding. This underscores the urgent need to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as by switching to electric vehicles, deploying renewable power and reducing deforestation. At the same time, the most authoritative climate science indicates that such efforts alone will not be enough to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

By Angela Scafidi and Haley Leslie-Bole U.S. production of biofuels has increased  in the past two decades and nowhere has felt the impact more than the Midwest — especially among farmers and rural communities. Driven by U.S. policies like the 2005 Renewable Fuel Standard, there’s been a steep increase in production of food crops, such as corn and soybeans to create biofuels aimed at reducing climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions while increasing U.S. energy security.

Over the past two decades, policies promoting first-generation biofuels have significantly reshaped the Midwest’s landscape, economy and agricultural systems. Today, 30–40% of U.S. corn is used to produce biofuels that contribute just 6% of national transportation energy, highlighting a disproportionate use of land and resources for limited energy output.