Call for equitable climate policies in agriculture
USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer has spotlighted critical issues in climate modeling systems at an agricultural outlook conference, calling for urgent reforms to support U.S. farmers.
These models currently undermine U.S. corn and soy farmers by favoring foreign biofuels such as Brazilian ethanol and Chinese used cooking oil (UCO), which are assessed under less stringent environmental impact standards.
Meyer criticized the existing climate models for not accurately reflecting the reality of agricultural practices and their impacts on land use. He noted the inconsistency where Brazilian corn, often double-cropped with soybeans, receives no penalty for greenhouse gas emissions, whereas U.S. corn is heavily penalized for hypothetical indirect land-use changes.
This discrepancy not only challenges economic reason but also hinders U.S. competitiveness in biofuels.
The conversation also covered the implications of the high volume of UCO imports from China, which are favored in policies like California's low-carbon fuel standard due to their "waste" designation, despite their significant use in other sectors within China.
Experts like Geoff Cooper stress the necessity for a fundamental reassessment of how indirect land-use changes are incorporated into clean fuels programs. They argue for an approach that accurately represents both the environmental impacts and the economic realities facing U.S. agriculture.
As policymakers consider the future of renewable fuels and agricultural sustainability, the calls for reforming climate models grow louder, emphasizing the need for fair and realistic policy frameworks that support all aspects of U.S. agriculture equally and sustainably.