Indirect land use change – Help beyond the hype?

The ‘food vs. fuel’ debate inspired the concept of indirect land use change (iLUC). Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission factors for iLUC are proposed for inclusion into carbon footprints (CF) of biofuels. The range of published iLUC values is enormous: from about 200% below, up to 1700% above the CF values of fossil fuels. From the perspective of life cycle assessment (LCA) and CF science, single iLUC factors are currently more representative for the approach or model used than for the crop or biofuel assessed. The scientific robustness is not sufficient for political and corporate decision making. None of the relevant international standards of LCA or CF require the inclusion of iLUC. The iLUC concept deserves credit for raising awareness of a relevant problem but it is not the solution. Science and policy should focus on proactive real world mitigation of iLUC rather than reactive and theoretical iLUC factors.