Faculty/Research < On Topic

Toward Energy Independence

Ethanol is not a climate change solution.

Curbing climate change and moving toward energy independence have been conflated in political speech, but the two goals are not interchangeable, said Marc Lame, a professor of environmental science at Indiana University.

“Our President's remarks addressing climate change have focused on reducing gasoline consumption by relying on new technologies such as ethanol. This type of messaging has stimulated a great deal of confusion due to its false implication that developing new technologies is the same thing as decreasing energy consumption. Those of us living in the corn-growing heartland would love to believe that by producing ethanol we can solve our planet's climate crisis, but the truth is, unfortunately, there is no evidence that ethanol uses less energy or produces less carbon emissions than conventional fossil fuels.

“The President seems to be saying that we can have it both ways—we can continue to consume carbon-based energy sources so long as they are produced in the United States, rather than acknowledging that we must use less energy and work together to change our consumptive habits. Reducing consumption will address both energy independence and global warming, but switching to ethanol is only a political solution not an answer to environmental problems.”

Lame can be reached at 812-855-5249 and mlame@indiana.edu.

You can read more about Marc and his work at http://www.iu.edu/~speaweb/faculty/mlame.php.