Does regulating indirect land use change work? The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to ILUC reform

University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana professor Madhu Khanna has been raising issues with including an indirect land use change factor for compliance with  low carbon fuel standards.

Why, since ILUC is a required calculation for the Renewable Fuel Standard?

Khanna notes that estimates of ILUC factor have varied considerably across studies and over time; plus, inclusion of ILUC factor imposes economic costs that should be considered and compared to the benefits of reduced carbon emissions, she says. Finally, “effectiveness of the ILUC factor approach in addressing the larger problem of land use change that harms the environment is questionable.”

Is ILUC regulation cost-effective — is it effective at all? Khanna gave an illuminating overview of the topic at ABLC Next 2017 in San Francisco.