As leaders from around the world convene this week in the United Arab Emirates to kick off the 2023 United Nations climate change conference (COP28), the Renewable Fuels Association is calling on U.S. delegates at the event to “prominently highlight the U.S. biofuels industry’s remarkable contributions to the fight against global climate change.”
RFA sent a letter to U.S. climate envoy John Kerry asking that U.S. leaders “…ensure renewable biofuels like ethanol are explicitly included in our nation’s plans to meet future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction commitments.”
Along with the letter, RFA submitted a brief white paper providing details on ethanol’s low-carbon benefits, the substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions achieved under the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the road ahead toward fully carbon-neutral ethanol.
“While biofuels like ethanol have already made extraordinary contributions in the fight against climate change, America’s farmers and biofuel producers have even more to offer,” RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper wrote. “A strong endorsement of biofuels by the U.S. delegation in Dubai would not only send a powerful signal to the global community, but it would also serve to unleash further innovation and investment in the U.S. biofuels sector. COP28 is a pivotal forum to outline the U.S. vision for low-carbon biofuels, and we look forward to continuing our work with you and the entire Biden administration to make that vision a reality.”
In the accompanying white paper on ethanol and carbon emissions, RFA Chief Economist Scott Richman laid out the groundbreaking 2021 net-zero pledge by RFA producer members and progress seen in the industry. He noted the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory estimates that ethanol reduces GHG emissions by up to 52% compared to gasoline, and that the carbon intensity of corn ethanol fell 23% from 2005 to 2019.