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Madhu Khanna
Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA

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Research review
Published: 03 August 2021 in GCB Bioenergy
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Marginal land has received wide attention for its potential to produce bioenergy feedstocks while minimizing diversion of productive agricultural land from food crop production. However, there has been no consensus in the literature on how to define or identify land that is marginal for food crops and beneficial for bioenergy crops. Studies have used different definitions to quantify the amount of such land available; these have largely been based on assumed biophysical thresholds for soil quality and productivity that are unchanging over space and time. We discuss the limitations of these definitions and the rationale for considering economic returns and environmental outcomes in classifying land as marginal. We then propose the concept of “socially” marginal which is defined as land that is earning close to zero returns after accounting for the monetized costs of environmental externalities generated. We discuss a broad set of criteria for classifying land as socially marginal for food crops and suitable for bioenergy crops; with these criteria, this classification depends on spatially varying and time-varying factors, such as climate and market conditions and policy incentives. While there are challenges related to identifying this marginal land, satellite and other large-scale datasets increasingly enable such analysis at a fine spatial resolution. We also discuss reasons why landowners might choose not to convert bioenergy-suitable land to bioenergy crops, and thus the need for policy incentives to support conversion of land that is socially beneficial for bioenergy crop production.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna; Luoye Chen; Bruno Basso; Ximing Cai; John L. Field; Kaiyu Guan; Chongya Jiang; Tyler J. Lark; Tom L. Richard; Seth A. Spawn‐Lee; Pan Yang; Katherine Y. Zipp. Redefining marginal land for bioenergy crop production. GCB Bioenergy 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna, Luoye Chen, Bruno Basso, Ximing Cai, John L. Field, Kaiyu Guan, Chongya Jiang, Tyler J. Lark, Tom L. Richard, Seth A. Spawn‐Lee, Pan Yang, Katherine Y. Zipp. Redefining marginal land for bioenergy crop production. GCB Bioenergy. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna; Luoye Chen; Bruno Basso; Ximing Cai; John L. Field; Kaiyu Guan; Chongya Jiang; Tyler J. Lark; Tom L. Richard; Seth A. Spawn‐Lee; Pan Yang; Katherine Y. Zipp. 2021. "Redefining marginal land for bioenergy crop production." GCB Bioenergy , no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 23 July 2021 in Environmental Science & Technology
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Utilization of marginal land for growing dedicated bioenergy crops for second-generation biofuels is appealing to avoid conflicts with food production. This study develops a novel framework to quantify marginal land for the Contiguous United States (CONUS) based on a history of satellite-observed land use change (LUC) over the 2008–2015 period. Frequent LUC between crop and noncrop is assumed to be an indicator of economically marginal land; this land is also likely to have a lower opportunity cost of conversion from food crop to bioenergy crop production. We first present an approach to identify cropland in transition using the time series of Cropland Data Layer (CDL) land cover product and determine the amount of land that can be considered marginal with a high degree of confidence vs with uncertainty across the CONUS. We find that the biophysical characteristics of this land and its productivity and environmental vulnerability vary across the land and lie in between that of permanent cropland and permanent natural vegetation/bare areas; this land also has relatively low intrinsic value and agricultural profit but a high financial burden and economic risk. We find that the total area of marginal land with confidence vs with uncertainty is 10.2 and 58.4 million hectares, respectively, and mainly located along the 100th meridian. Only a portion of this marginal land (1.4–2.2 million hectares with confidence and 14.8–19.4 million hectares with uncertainty) is in the rainfed region and not in crop production and, thus, suitable for producing energy crops without diverting land from food crops in 2016. These estimates are much smaller than the estimates obtained by previous studies, which consider all biophysically low-quality land to be marginal without considering economical marginality. The estimate of marginal land for bioenergy crops obtained in this study is an indicator of the availability of economically marginal land that is suitable for bioenergy crop production; whether this land is actually converted to bioenergy crops will depend on the market conditions. We note the inability to conduct field-level validation of cropland in transition and leave it to future advances in technology to ground-truth land use change and its relationship to economically marginal land.

ACS Style

Chongya Jiang; Kaiyu Guan; Madhu Khanna; Luoye Chen; Jian Peng. Assessing Marginal Land Availability Based on Land Use Change Information in the Contiguous United States. Environmental Science & Technology 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Chongya Jiang, Kaiyu Guan, Madhu Khanna, Luoye Chen, Jian Peng. Assessing Marginal Land Availability Based on Land Use Change Information in the Contiguous United States. Environmental Science & Technology. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chongya Jiang; Kaiyu Guan; Madhu Khanna; Luoye Chen; Jian Peng. 2021. "Assessing Marginal Land Availability Based on Land Use Change Information in the Contiguous United States." Environmental Science & Technology , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 11 June 2021 in Scientific Reports
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We quantify long-run adaptation of U.S. corn and soybean yields to changes in temperature and precipitation over 1951–2017. Results show that although the two crops became more heat- and drought-tolerant, their productivity under normal temperature and precipitation conditions decreased. Over 1951–2017, heat- and drought-tolerance increased corn and soybean yields by 33% and 20%, whereas maladaptation to normal conditions reduced yields by 41% and 87%, respectively, with large spatial variations in effects. Changes in climate are projected to reduce average corn and soybean yields by 39–68% and 86–92%, respectively, by 2050 relative to 2013–2017 depending on the warming scenario. After incorporating estimated effects of climate-neutral technological advances, the net change in yield ranges from (−)13 to 62% for corn and (−)57 to (−)26% for soybeans in 2050 relative to 2013–2017. Our analysis uncovers the inherent trade-offs and limitations of existing approaches to crop adaptation.

ACS Style

Chengzheng Yu; Ruiqing Miao; Madhu Khanna. Maladaptation of U.S. corn and soybeans to a changing climate. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 1 -12.

AMA Style

Chengzheng Yu, Ruiqing Miao, Madhu Khanna. Maladaptation of U.S. corn and soybeans to a changing climate. Scientific Reports. 2021; 11 (1):1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chengzheng Yu; Ruiqing Miao; Madhu Khanna. 2021. "Maladaptation of U.S. corn and soybeans to a changing climate." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1: 1-12.

Original research
Published: 06 March 2021 in GCB Bioenergy
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Planting bioenergy crops on marginal land is critical for avoiding competition with food crop production. While many studies have estimated marginal land availability using various methods, only a few studies have considered the role of socioeconomic factors in affecting perceptions about the availability of marginal land. This study analyzes land‐use survey data to examine the determinants of farmers' perceptions of marginal land availability on their farms. We find that farmers' perceptions are affected by a combination of unfavorable biophysical (e.g., soil water capacity, temperature variability, and slope) and socioeconomic factors, of which farm size appears to be significant. Interestingly, we identify different determinants of perceptions among farmers that claim to have marginal land and those that do not; the former are determined mainly by unfavorable biophysical factors, while the latter are mainly explained by small farm size. We further apply a prediction model that is trained by a machine learning algorithm to Midwestern states, and derive maps of marginal land likelihood and associated dominant influencing factors. The results suggest that marginal land is primarily under pastureland and grassland cover and in the Dakotas and Nebraska; there is also some marginal land under crop production in the Corn Belt. Our findings contribute to improving understanding of the complex determinants of heterogeneous perceptions of marginal land and can inform the design of more targeted policies for bioenergy crop adoption.

ACS Style

Pan Yang; Ximing Cai; Madhu Khanna. Farmers' heterogeneous perceptions of marginal land for biofuel crops in US Midwestern states considering biophysical and socioeconomic factors. GCB Bioenergy 2021, 13, 849 -861.

AMA Style

Pan Yang, Ximing Cai, Madhu Khanna. Farmers' heterogeneous perceptions of marginal land for biofuel crops in US Midwestern states considering biophysical and socioeconomic factors. GCB Bioenergy. 2021; 13 (5):849-861.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pan Yang; Ximing Cai; Madhu Khanna. 2021. "Farmers' heterogeneous perceptions of marginal land for biofuel crops in US Midwestern states considering biophysical and socioeconomic factors." GCB Bioenergy 13, no. 5: 849-861.

Letter
Published: 17 February 2021 in Environmental Research Letters
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Mandates, like the renewable fuel standard (RFS), for biofuels from corn and cellulosic feedstocks, impact the environment in multiple ways by affecting land use, nitrogen (N)-leakage, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We analyze the differing trade-offs these different types of biofuels offer among these multi-dimensional environmental effects and convert them to a monetized value of environmental damages (or benefits) that can be compared with the economic costs of extending these mandates over the 2016–2030 period. The discounted values of cumulative net benefits (or costs) are then compared to those with a counterfactual level of biofuels that would have been produced in the absence of the RFS over this period. We find that maintaining the corn ethanol mandate at 56 billion l till 2030 will lead to a discounted cumulative value of an economic cost of $199 billion over the 2016–2030 period compared to the counterfactual scenario; this includes $109 billion of economic costs and $85 billion of net monetized environmental damages. The additional implementation of a cellulosic biofuel mandate for 60 billion l by 2030 will increase this economic cost by $69 billion which will be partly offset by the net discounted monetized value of environmental benefits of $20 billion, resulting in a net cost of $49 billion over the 2016–2030 period. We explore the sensitivity of these net (economic and environmental) costs to alternative values of the social costs of carbon and nitrogen and other technological and market parameters. We find that, unlike corn ethanol, cellulosic biofuels can result in positive net benefits if the monetary benefits of GHG mitigation are valued high and those of N-damages are not very high.

ACS Style

Luoye Chen; Deepayan Debnath; Jia Zhong; Kelsie Ferin; Andy VanLoocke; Madhu Khanna. The economic and environmental costs and benefits of the renewable fuel standard. Environmental Research Letters 2021, 16, 034021 .

AMA Style

Luoye Chen, Deepayan Debnath, Jia Zhong, Kelsie Ferin, Andy VanLoocke, Madhu Khanna. The economic and environmental costs and benefits of the renewable fuel standard. Environmental Research Letters. 2021; 16 (3):034021.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luoye Chen; Deepayan Debnath; Jia Zhong; Kelsie Ferin; Andy VanLoocke; Madhu Khanna. 2021. "The economic and environmental costs and benefits of the renewable fuel standard." Environmental Research Letters 16, no. 3: 034021.

Accepted manuscript
Published: 08 February 2021 in Environmental Research Letters
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Irrigation is critical to sustain agricultural productivity in dry or semi-dry environments, and center pivots, due to their versatility and ruggedness, are the most widely used irrigation systems. To effectively use center pivot irrigation systems, producers require tools to support their decision-making on when and how much water to irrigate. However, currently producers make these decisions primarily based on experience and/or limited information of weather. Ineffective use of irrigation systems can lead to overuse of water resources, compromise crop productivity, and directly reduce producers' economic return as well as bring negative impacts on environmental sustainability. In this paper, we surveyed existing precision irrigation research and tools from peer-reviewed literature, land-grant university extension and industry products, and U.S. patents. We focused on four challenge areas related to precision irrigation decision-support systems: (1) data availability and scalability, (2) quantification of plant water stress, (3) model uncertainties and constraints, and (4) producers' participation and motivation. We then identified opportunities to address the above four challenge areas: (1) increase the use of high spatial-temporal-resolution satellite fusion products and inexpensive sensor networks to scale up the adoption of precision irrigation decision-support systems; (2) use mechanistic quantification of "plant water stress" as triggers to improve irrigation decision, by explicitly considering the interaction between soil water supply, atmospheric water demand, and plant physiological regulation; (3) constrain the process-based and statistical/machine learning models at each individual field using data-model fusion methods for scalable solutions; and (4) develop easy-to-use tools with flexibility, and increase governments' financial incentives and support. We conclude this review by laying out our vision for precision irrigation decision-support systems for center pivots that can achieve scalable, economical, reliable, and easy-to-use irrigation management for producers.

ACS Style

Jingwen Zhang; Kaiyu Guan; Bin Peng; Chongya Jiang; Wang Zhou; Yi Yang; Ming Pan; Trenton E. Franz; Derek M. Heeren; Daran R. Rudnick; Olufemi Abimbola; Hyungsuk Kimm; Kelly Caylor; Stephen P Good; Madhu Khanna; John Gates; Yaping Cai. Challenges and opportunities in precision irrigation decision-support systems for center pivots. Environmental Research Letters 2021, 16, 053003 .

AMA Style

Jingwen Zhang, Kaiyu Guan, Bin Peng, Chongya Jiang, Wang Zhou, Yi Yang, Ming Pan, Trenton E. Franz, Derek M. Heeren, Daran R. Rudnick, Olufemi Abimbola, Hyungsuk Kimm, Kelly Caylor, Stephen P Good, Madhu Khanna, John Gates, Yaping Cai. Challenges and opportunities in precision irrigation decision-support systems for center pivots. Environmental Research Letters. 2021; 16 (5):053003.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jingwen Zhang; Kaiyu Guan; Bin Peng; Chongya Jiang; Wang Zhou; Yi Yang; Ming Pan; Trenton E. Franz; Derek M. Heeren; Daran R. Rudnick; Olufemi Abimbola; Hyungsuk Kimm; Kelly Caylor; Stephen P Good; Madhu Khanna; John Gates; Yaping Cai. 2021. "Challenges and opportunities in precision irrigation decision-support systems for center pivots." Environmental Research Letters 16, no. 5: 053003.

Article
Published: 13 January 2021 in American Journal of Agricultural Economics
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The Clean Power Plan (CPP) was repealed due to concerns about the “unnecessary, costly burdens” it may impose on electric utilities, thereby delaying efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from the electricity sector. This paper examines the greenhouse gas and welfare implications of this repeal while incorporating the presence of the state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the US as the status quo. We assess the carbon abatement and welfare costs with the CPP relative to two alternative baselines: a no‐policy baseline and a pre‐existing policy baseline with the RPS. The CPP is implemented as a regional mass‐based standard, a regional rate‐based standard, or as a national mass‐based standard with trading of emissions across regions over the 2022–2030 period. We find that the incremental discounted welfare costs per metric ton of CO2 that would have been abated by the CPP relative to the RPS would be substantially lower than the global social cost of CO2. However, the overall costs of carbon abatement with the CPP added to the RPS would have become higher than the social cost of carbon when estimated relative to a no‐policy baseline, except with a national mass‐based CPP. Across all policy combinations and choice of baselines, the aggregate welfare costs were lowest under a national mass‐based standard and highest under the regional rate‐based standard. We also find that the CPP would have imposed large welfare costs on consumers and fossil fuel producers while benefiting the renewable fuel producers.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna; Xiaoguang Chen; Weiwei Wang; Anthony Oliver. Repeal of the Clean Power Plan: Social Cost and Distributional Implications. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna, Xiaoguang Chen, Weiwei Wang, Anthony Oliver. Repeal of the Clean Power Plan: Social Cost and Distributional Implications. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna; Xiaoguang Chen; Weiwei Wang; Anthony Oliver. 2021. "Repeal of the Clean Power Plan: Social Cost and Distributional Implications." American Journal of Agricultural Economics , no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 12 January 2021 in Environmental Science & Technology
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Demand for biofuel production driven by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) has coincided with increased land in corn production and increasing nitrogen (N) loss to the Gulf of Mexico. Diversifying cropland with perennial energy crops (miscanthus and switchgrass) may reduce N loss and improve water quality. However, the extent of these benefits depends on the mix of biomass feedstocks (corn stover, perennials) incentivized by the RFS2 and the extent to which energy crops displace N-intensive row crops. We developed an integrated economic-biophysical model to quantify the water quality impacts of three potential policy scenarios that provided corn ethanol at levels before the RFS2 (RFS1 baseline); 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol (corn ethanol only); or 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol in addition to corn ethanol (corn + cellulosic ethanol). Our results showed that economically optimal locations for perennial energy crop production were distributed across idle cropland with lower intrinsic N loss than active cropland. We found stover removal incentivized by the RFS2 offset N loss benefits of perennial energy crops. This finding suggests that targeted incentives for N loss reduction are needed to supplement the RFS2 to induce displacement of N-intensive row crops with energy crops to reduce N losses.

ACS Style

Kelsie M. Ferin; Luoye Chen; Jia Zhong; Sarah Acquah; Emily A. Heaton; Madhu Khanna; Andy Vanloocke. Water Quality Effects of Economically Viable Land Use Change in the Mississippi River Basin under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Environmental Science & Technology 2021, 55, 1566 -1575.

AMA Style

Kelsie M. Ferin, Luoye Chen, Jia Zhong, Sarah Acquah, Emily A. Heaton, Madhu Khanna, Andy Vanloocke. Water Quality Effects of Economically Viable Land Use Change in the Mississippi River Basin under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Environmental Science & Technology. 2021; 55 (3):1566-1575.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kelsie M. Ferin; Luoye Chen; Jia Zhong; Sarah Acquah; Emily A. Heaton; Madhu Khanna; Andy Vanloocke. 2021. "Water Quality Effects of Economically Viable Land Use Change in the Mississippi River Basin under the Renewable Fuel Standard." Environmental Science & Technology 55, no. 3: 1566-1575.

Research article
Published: 07 January 2021 in Environmental Science & Technology
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Using land already enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the eastern region of the U.S. for producing energy crops for bioenergy while reducing land rental payments offers the potential for lowering the program costs, increasing returns to CRP landowners, and displacing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuels. We develop an integrated modeling approach to analyze the combination of biomass prices and CRP land rental payment reductions that can incentivize energy crop production on CRP land and its potential to increase soil carbon stocks and displace fossil fuel emissions. We find that conversion of 3.4 million ha in the CRP can be economically viable at a minimum biomass price of $75 Mg–1 with full CRP land rental payment or at $100 Mg–1 with 75% of this land rental payment; this conversion can result in savings of 0.52 and 1.25 billion Mg CO2-eq in life-cycle emissions through the displacement of energy-equivalent fossil fuels and coal-based electricity, respectively, and an additional 0.11 billion Mg CO2-eq soil carbon sequestration relative to the status quo, with CRP left unharvested over the 2016–2030 period. The soil carbon debt due to the transition from unharvested CRP land to energy crops is short-lived and more than offset by the reduction in fossil fuel emissions. The net discounted benefits from producing energy crops on CRP land through a reduced need for government payments to maintain existing enrollment, higher returns to CRP landowners, and the value of the reduction in GHG emissions could be as high as $16–$30 billion by using them for cellulosic biofuels to displace gasoline and $35–$68 billion by displacing coal-based electricity over the 2016–2030 period if biomass prices are $75–$125 Mg–1 and land rental payments are reduced by 25%.

ACS Style

Luoye Chen; Elena Blanc-Betes; Tara W. Hudiburg; Daniel Hellerstein; Steven Wallander; Evan H. DeLucia; Madhu Khanna. Assessing the Returns to Land and Greenhouse Gas Savings from Producing Energy Crops on Conservation Reserve Program Land. Environmental Science & Technology 2021, 55, 1301 -1309.

AMA Style

Luoye Chen, Elena Blanc-Betes, Tara W. Hudiburg, Daniel Hellerstein, Steven Wallander, Evan H. DeLucia, Madhu Khanna. Assessing the Returns to Land and Greenhouse Gas Savings from Producing Energy Crops on Conservation Reserve Program Land. Environmental Science & Technology. 2021; 55 (2):1301-1309.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luoye Chen; Elena Blanc-Betes; Tara W. Hudiburg; Daniel Hellerstein; Steven Wallander; Evan H. DeLucia; Madhu Khanna. 2021. "Assessing the Returns to Land and Greenhouse Gas Savings from Producing Energy Crops on Conservation Reserve Program Land." Environmental Science & Technology 55, no. 2: 1301-1309.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2021 in Review of Environmental Economics and Policy
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Biofuel production in the United States, primarily from corn, has more than doubled since 2007, leading to concerns about its unintended consequences for agricultural and fuel markets. To examine the validity of these concerns and inform the debate about biofuels and their impacts, we review ex ante projections and ex post evidence of the effects of biofuels on land use, food and fuel prices, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We find that biofuels expansion contributed to an initial significant increase in agricultural commodity prices, but these impacts have dissipated over time as crop productivity has increased and cropping patterns have changed. Simulated estimates of indirect land use change and the related GHG emissions intensity of biofuels have also declined sharply from their early levels, which is consistent with ex post evidence. Additionally, growth in biofuel production caused a very modest reduction in fossil fuel prices, implying a small fuel rebound effect. Overall, estimates imply that first-generation biofuels from corn have a lower carbon intensity than gasoline. Finally, learning by doing, economies of scale, and technological improvements have made biofuels from corn increasingly competitive, reducing the need for subsidies and import tariffs. We conclude with a discussion of the lessons learned from the US biofuels experience.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna; Deepak Rajagopal; David Zilberman. Lessons Learned from US Experience with Biofuels: Comparing the Hype with the Evidence. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 2021, 15, 67 -86.

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna, Deepak Rajagopal, David Zilberman. Lessons Learned from US Experience with Biofuels: Comparing the Hype with the Evidence. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy. 2021; 15 (1):67-86.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna; Deepak Rajagopal; David Zilberman. 2021. "Lessons Learned from US Experience with Biofuels: Comparing the Hype with the Evidence." Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 15, no. 1: 67-86.

Featured article
Published: 03 October 2020 in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy
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COVID‐19 has led to an unprecedented reduction in demand for energy for transportation and electricity, a crash in prices and employment in the fossil fuel industries and record‐breaking reductions in global carbon emissions. This paper discusses whether this “demand destruction” could spell the beginning of the end for fossil fuels or a temporary recession and the imperative to recover from the current crisis by “building back better” and not the same as before. There are encouraging signs for the renewable energy industry that could make COVID‐19 a cloud with a silver lining; whether this is the case will depend not only on the technological realities and social response to the crisis but also on political will and foresight.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna. COVID ‐19: A Cloud with a Silver Lining for Renewable Energy? Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 2020, 43, 73 -85.

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna. COVID ‐19: A Cloud with a Silver Lining for Renewable Energy? Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. 2020; 43 (1):73-85.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna. 2020. "COVID ‐19: A Cloud with a Silver Lining for Renewable Energy?" Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 43, no. 1: 73-85.

Journal article
Published: 10 August 2020 in Nature Sustainability
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Neonicotinoid insecticides are being widely used and have raised concerns about negative impacts on non-target organisms. However, there has been no large-scale, generalizable study on their impact on biodiversity of avian species in the United States. Here we show, using a rich dataset on breeding birds and pesticide use in the United States, that the increase in neonicotinoid use led to statistically significant reductions in bird biodiversity between 2008 and 2014 relative to a counterfactual without neonicotinoid use, particularly for grassland and insectivorous birds, with average annual rates of reduction of 4% and 3%, respectively. The corresponding rates are even higher (12% and 5%, respectively) when the dynamic effects of bird population declines on future population growth are considered. The effects of neonicotinoids on non-grassland and non-insectivorous birds are also statistically significant but smaller, with an average annual rate of reduction of 2% over this period.

ACS Style

Yijia Li; Ruiqing Miao; Madhu Khanna. Neonicotinoids and decline in bird biodiversity in the United States. Nature Sustainability 2020, 3, 1027 -1035.

AMA Style

Yijia Li, Ruiqing Miao, Madhu Khanna. Neonicotinoids and decline in bird biodiversity in the United States. Nature Sustainability. 2020; 3 (12):1027-1035.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yijia Li; Ruiqing Miao; Madhu Khanna. 2020. "Neonicotinoids and decline in bird biodiversity in the United States." Nature Sustainability 3, no. 12: 1027-1035.

Journal article
Published: 08 July 2020 in Nature
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Enhanced silicate rock weathering (ERW), deployable with croplands, has potential use for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) removal (CDR), which is now necessary to mitigate anthropogenic climate change1. ERW also has possible co-benefits for improved food and soil security, and reduced ocean acidification2,3,4. Here we use an integrated performance modelling approach to make an initial techno-economic assessment for 2050, quantifying how CDR potential and costs vary among nations in relation to business-as-usual energy policies and policies consistent with limiting future warming to 2 degrees Celsius5. China, India, the USA and Brazil have great potential to help achieve average global CDR goals of 0.5 to 2 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year with extraction costs of approximately US$80–180 per tonne of CO2. These goals and costs are robust, regardless of future energy policies. Deployment within existing croplands offers opportunities to align agriculture and climate policy. However, success will depend upon overcoming political and social inertia to develop regulatory and incentive frameworks. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of ERW deployment, including the potential for excess industrial silicate materials (basalt mine overburden, concrete, and iron and steel slag) to obviate the need for new mining, as well as uncertainties in soil weathering rates and land–ocean transfer of weathered products.

ACS Style

David J. Beerling; Euripides P. Kantzas; Mark R. Lomas; Peter Wade; Rafael M. Eufrasio; Phil Renforth; Binoy Sarkar; M. Grace Andrews; Rachael James; Christopher R. Pearce; Jean-Francois Mercure; Hector Pollitt; Philip B. Holden; Neil R. Edwards; Madhu Khanna; Lenny Koh; Shaun Quegan; Nick F. Pidgeon; Ivan A. Janssens; James Hansen; Steven A. Banwart. Potential for large-scale CO2 removal via enhanced rock weathering with croplands. Nature 2020, 583, 242 -248.

AMA Style

David J. Beerling, Euripides P. Kantzas, Mark R. Lomas, Peter Wade, Rafael M. Eufrasio, Phil Renforth, Binoy Sarkar, M. Grace Andrews, Rachael James, Christopher R. Pearce, Jean-Francois Mercure, Hector Pollitt, Philip B. Holden, Neil R. Edwards, Madhu Khanna, Lenny Koh, Shaun Quegan, Nick F. Pidgeon, Ivan A. Janssens, James Hansen, Steven A. Banwart. Potential for large-scale CO2 removal via enhanced rock weathering with croplands. Nature. 2020; 583 (7815):242-248.

Chicago/Turabian Style

David J. Beerling; Euripides P. Kantzas; Mark R. Lomas; Peter Wade; Rafael M. Eufrasio; Phil Renforth; Binoy Sarkar; M. Grace Andrews; Rachael James; Christopher R. Pearce; Jean-Francois Mercure; Hector Pollitt; Philip B. Holden; Neil R. Edwards; Madhu Khanna; Lenny Koh; Shaun Quegan; Nick F. Pidgeon; Ivan A. Janssens; James Hansen; Steven A. Banwart. 2020. "Potential for large-scale CO2 removal via enhanced rock weathering with croplands." Nature 583, no. 7815: 242-248.

Article
Published: 14 June 2020 in BioEnergy Research
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A recent study by DeCicco et al. (Climatic Change 138:667–680, 2016) claims that corn used for ethanol should not be considered to be inherently biogenically carbon-neutral because not all that corn was grown additional to the level otherwise. By assessing the extent of carbon neutrality of corn for ethanol using the reference point baseline approach and historical data that study concluded that the carbon intensity of US corn ethanol is 27% higher than that of gasoline. We develop a framework to determine the carbon neutrality of corn for ethanol by assessing the additional carbon uptake by crops using an anticipated baseline approach. We also apply this framework to determine the additional corn produced for ethanol and include the direct life cycle carbon emissions of only that portion of corn in the direct life cycle carbon intensity of corn ethanol. We implement this framework by integrating an economic model of the agricultural sector in the USA with a biogenic carbon model and life cycle analysis to quantify biogenic carbon uptake and direct life cycle emissions with and without corn ethanol expansion over the 2007–2027 period. We find that the combined biogenic carbon emissions and direct life cycle carbon emission intensity of corn ethanol (not including indirect land use related emissions) is 21% lower than gasoline. The lower value of this carbon intensity of corn ethanol compared with gasoline is robust to a wide range of parametric assumptions.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna; Weiwei Wang; Michael Wang. Assessing the Additional Carbon Savings with Biofuel. BioEnergy Research 2020, 13, 1082 -1094.

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna, Weiwei Wang, Michael Wang. Assessing the Additional Carbon Savings with Biofuel. BioEnergy Research. 2020; 13 (4):1082-1094.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna; Weiwei Wang; Michael Wang. 2020. "Assessing the Additional Carbon Savings with Biofuel." BioEnergy Research 13, no. 4: 1082-1094.

Article
Published: 09 April 2020 in Economic Change and Restructuring
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A firm’s capability to innovate is influenced by its organizational structure. We examine the effect of Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM) on the adoption of innovative pollution prevention activities over the period 1992–1996, and show that the rate of innovation increases following the adoption of TQEM. However, the effect of TQEM on pollution prevention innovation “wears out” over time. Our analysis indicates that this is likely because pollution prevention undertaken in one year continues to be effective in future years. This, in turn, reduces the incentives for further innovation due to declining marginal returns, rather than because the institutional effectiveness of TQEM weakens. We provide corroborative evidence based on the time profile of pollution prevention of firms that adopted TQEM prior to the start of our sample, and also develop a stylized model with (partial) obsolescence of pollution prevention innovations that matches the empirical regularities we obtain. Our findings shed light on the importance of organizational structure on the pace of technical change.

ACS Style

George Deltas; Donna Ramirez Harrington; Madhu Khanna. The impact of management systems on technical change: the adoption of pollution prevention techniques. Economic Change and Restructuring 2020, 54, 171 -198.

AMA Style

George Deltas, Donna Ramirez Harrington, Madhu Khanna. The impact of management systems on technical change: the adoption of pollution prevention techniques. Economic Change and Restructuring. 2020; 54 (1):171-198.

Chicago/Turabian Style

George Deltas; Donna Ramirez Harrington; Madhu Khanna. 2020. "The impact of management systems on technical change: the adoption of pollution prevention techniques." Economic Change and Restructuring 54, no. 1: 171-198.

Comment
Published: 23 September 2019 in Nature Sustainability
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Precision farming enabled by big data and gene-editing technologies are accelerating progress toward increasing nitrogen-use efficiency. However, farmer engagement, public–private partnerships and sound public policies are critical to harness the potential of such technologies to reduce hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna; Benjamin M. Gramig; Evan H. DeLucia; Ximing Cai; Praveen Kumar. Harnessing emerging technologies to reduce Gulf hypoxia. Nature Sustainability 2019, 2, 889 -891.

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna, Benjamin M. Gramig, Evan H. DeLucia, Ximing Cai, Praveen Kumar. Harnessing emerging technologies to reduce Gulf hypoxia. Nature Sustainability. 2019; 2 (10):889-891.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna; Benjamin M. Gramig; Evan H. DeLucia; Ximing Cai; Praveen Kumar. 2019. "Harnessing emerging technologies to reduce Gulf hypoxia." Nature Sustainability 2, no. 10: 889-891.

Journal article
Published: 29 January 2019 in Environmental Research Letters
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Puneet Dwivedi; M Khanna; Madisen Fuller. Is wood pellet-based electricity less carbon-intensive than coal-based electricity? It depends on perspectives, baselines, feedstocks, and forest management practices. Environmental Research Letters 2019, 14, 024006 .

AMA Style

Puneet Dwivedi, M Khanna, Madisen Fuller. Is wood pellet-based electricity less carbon-intensive than coal-based electricity? It depends on perspectives, baselines, feedstocks, and forest management practices. Environmental Research Letters. 2019; 14 (2):024006.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Puneet Dwivedi; M Khanna; Madisen Fuller. 2019. "Is wood pellet-based electricity less carbon-intensive than coal-based electricity? It depends on perspectives, baselines, feedstocks, and forest management practices." Environmental Research Letters 14, no. 2: 024006.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2018 in Applied Energy
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The increase in corn ethanol production has raised concerns about its indirect impacts on the expansion of cropland and implications for the environment and continues to be a controversial issue. In particular, land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) declined by 7.2 million acres between 2007 and 2012 while corn ethanol production more than doubled. However, the extent to which this decline in CRP acres can be causally attributed to increased ethanol production is yet to be determined. Using a dynamic, partial equilibrium economic model for the US agricultural sector we find that doubling of corn ethanol production over the 2007–2012 period (holding all else constant) led to the conversion of 3.2 million acres of unused cropland, including 1 million acres in CRP, to crop production. While substantial in magnitude, we find that these land use changes due to biofuel production accounted for only 16% and 13% of the total reduction in unused cropland and in CRP acres, respectively, that occurred over the 2007–2012 period. We also find that the land use change per million gallons of corn ethanol has declined non-linearly over time from 453 acres to 112 acres over the 2007–2012 period.

ACS Style

Xiaoguang Chen; Madhu Khanna. Effect of corn ethanol production on Conservation Reserve Program acres in the US. Applied Energy 2018, 225, 124 -134.

AMA Style

Xiaoguang Chen, Madhu Khanna. Effect of corn ethanol production on Conservation Reserve Program acres in the US. Applied Energy. 2018; 225 ():124-134.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xiaoguang Chen; Madhu Khanna. 2018. "Effect of corn ethanol production on Conservation Reserve Program acres in the US." Applied Energy 225, no. : 124-134.

Journal article
Published: 27 June 2018 in American Journal of Agricultural Economics
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The article by Lybbert et al. (2018) provides an opportunity for reflection on the co-evolution of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) and the agricultural economics field over the past 100 years. In particular, the article highlights the increasing importance of peer review in the publication process as the journal has gradually transformed from no peer-review in the early years to only peer-reviewed articles currently.

ACS Style

Madhu Khanna. The Evolution towards Peer‐Reviewed Invited Papers in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 2018, 100, 1283 -1284.

AMA Style

Madhu Khanna. The Evolution towards Peer‐Reviewed Invited Papers in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 2018; 100 (5):1283-1284.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Madhu Khanna. 2018. "The Evolution towards Peer‐Reviewed Invited Papers in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics." American Journal of Agricultural Economics 100, no. 5: 1283-1284.

Original paper
Published: 18 May 2018 in Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences
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In the US, renewable energy policy has largely followed a regional approach; 29 states are currently implementing Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs) at varying levels of stringency, while the other states have no renewable energy policy. Requiring individual states to achieve given targets is likely to be less efficient and lead to different levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement than a national RPS that achieves the same national share of renewable electricity generation since the latter allows more flexibility in the regional shares based on their relative costs of renewable electricity generation. RPSs are also likely to be less efficient than a national GHG cap and trade (GHG Cap) policy which allow flexibility in achieving GHG abatement through a variety of approaches. We examine the welfare costs and GHG abatement achieved by the existing state RPSs relative to a hypothetical national RPS and a national GHG Cap policy. We undertake this analysis using a dynamic, multi-region, partial-equilibrium, price-endogenous model of the US electricity, agricultural, and transportation sectors, called the Biofuel and Environmental Policy Analysis Model (BEPAM-E). Our results show that a hypothetical national RPS and can induce an equivalent share of renewable-based electricity generation as the state RPSs but at a $61 billion lower welfare cost over the 2007–2030 period. The national RPS would also achieve greater GHG reductions than the state-level RPSs, as it induces a larger decrease in coal generation. We find that the national RPS and national GHG Cap are 55 and 74% more cost-effective in reducing GHG emissions than the state RPSs.

ACS Style

Anthony Oliver; Madhu Khanna. The spatial distribution of welfare costs of Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United States electricity sector. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences 2018, 11, 269 -287.

AMA Style

Anthony Oliver, Madhu Khanna. The spatial distribution of welfare costs of Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United States electricity sector. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences. 2018; 11 (3):269-287.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anthony Oliver; Madhu Khanna. 2018. "The spatial distribution of welfare costs of Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United States electricity sector." Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences 11, no. 3: 269-287.