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Expert Looks at New Way to Calculate Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A research team at the University of Illinois believes it's found a better way to determine the environmental impact of converting certain kinds of land to crop production, like for biofuels.

Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, a post-doctoral researcher at the Energy Biosciences Institute, and institute professor Evan DeLucia, say their method for determining the greenhouse gas value (GHGV) is more complete, because it takes into consideration what kind of ecosystem is being depleted, what kind of new crop is being planted, and the timeframe for emissions.

The team's article on the subject has just been published in Global Change Biology. Anderson-Teixeira says one example of their method is the determination that clearing one square foot of tropical peat forest is the equivalent of driving 72 miles. The GHGV still wouldn't take local conditions into account, like flood control or better water quality, but Anderson-Teixeira says this method is still a drastic improvement.

(Illinois Radio Network)
06 03 10 by Newsroom
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