February 8, 2008, 9:01 am

From an AP report:

The widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly twice the greenhouse gas emissions

as the gasoline it would replace because of expected land-use changes,

researchers concluded Thursday. The study challenges the rush to

biofuels as a response to global warming. The researchers said that past studies showing the benefits of ethanol in combating climate change

have not taken into account almost certain changes in land use

worldwide if ethanol from corn "” and in the future from other

feedstocks such as switchgrass "” become a prized commodity. "Using good cropland to expand biofuels will probably exacerbate

global warming," concludes the study published in Science magazine.

Promoters of biofuels often hold up Brazil as an example of a model ethanol mandate. Forget for a moment that in fact ethanol still makes up only a small percentage of the transportation fuel market in Brazil. Think of all those satellite photos we used to see of farmers burning the Amazon to expand cropland:

I know that correlation is not equal to causation, but the fact is that this land clearing, which has always one on, really accelerated after the Brazilian ethanol mandates and subsidies. My prediction is that careful academic work in the coming years will pin the blame for a lot of the destruction of the Amazon on ethanol.

Moonbattery has a fitting conclusion: