Ethanol expansion and indirect land use change in Brazil

Corn ethanol production, food exports, and indirect land use change.

The approximately 100 million tonne per year increase in the use of corn to produce ethanol in the U.S. over the past 10 years, and projections of greater future use, have raised concerns that reduced exports of corn (and other agricultural products) and higher commodity prices would lead to land-use changes and, consequently, negative environmental impacts in other countries. The concerns have...

Biofuel Policies and Indirect Land Use Change

Climate change, land use patterns and deforestation in Brazil

This paper aims at evaluating the impacts of climate change on land use patterns in Brazil. To this purpose, we specify and estimate an econometric land use model to assess how climate variables affect land allocation decisions according to three types of use: cropland, pasture and forestland. Based on the econometric model estimates, we then simulate how farmers will adapt their land use choic...

Sensitivity of Carbon Emission Estimates from Indirect Land-Use Change

We analyze the sensitivity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land-use change to modifications in assumptions concerning crop area, yield, and deforestation. For this purpose, we run a modified version of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Agricultural Outlook Model, which was used previously to assess the impacts of energy price increases and biofuel policy changes on...

Land cover land use mapping and change detection analysis using geographic information system and remote sensing

Land cover/land use categories are relevant components in land management. Understanding how land cover/land use change over time is necessary to assess the consequences of humans and natural stressors on the earth’s environment and resources. The aim of the study was to map and monitor the spatial and temporal change in land cover/land use for the periods of 1977, 1991 and 2016 and to predict ...