On Dec. 9, 2023, The New Yorker ran an article about Sustainable Aviation Gas (SAF) however downplayed the environmental advantages of ethanol. Development Power CEO Emily Skor submitted the next letter to the editor in response:
Elizabeth Kolbert’s current article on sustainable aviation gasoline (SAF) cherry-picks info to retell a long-debunked narrative that misrepresents the state of the analysis on crop-based biofuels.
At least the Argonne Nationwide Laboratory and U.S. Division of Agriculture have concluded that corn ethanol reduces greenhouse gasoline emissions. With the implementation of climate-smart farming practices the Division of Power discovered that the GHG emissions of SAF constituted of ethanol may very well be 153% decrease than customary petroleum jet gasoline. Further analysis has demonstrated, opposite to Kolbert’s breezy declare in any other case, that corn ethanol has not elevated meals costs or crop acreage—in truth, corn acreage has been largely unchanged because the Thirties. And but, in that point we’ve been in a position to feed extra folks and gasoline extra automobiles utilizing the identical quantity of land attributable to monumental will increase in crop yield.
Sure, SAF continues to be in its infancy. Making certain its success would require an excessive amount of funding and help from policymakers, however on the subject of corn ethanol and SAF there are causes for optimism. We should always pretty assess all our choices; in any other case, we threat steering ourselves towards a future full of much more fossil fuels—one thing nobody desires.
