The United States Should Not Turn Food Into Aviation Fuel

The policy brief warns that using soybeans and corn for aviation fuel increases food prices and causes deforestation, urging the US government and states like California to prioritize non-food feedstocks such as waste biomass and e-fuels.

• Domestic aviation emissions account for 3% of annual US greenhouse gas output and are projected to grow by 2–3% annually until midcentury, as aircraft efficiency gains are insufficient to offset the growth in air travel.
• Current US approaches to alternative jet fuel that divert corn and soybeans from food and feed markets cause negative externalities, including higher food prices, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and emissions resulting from land-use change.
• To achieve truly sustainable aviation fuel, federal and state support should pivot toward nascent technologies—such as biomass gasification, Fischer-Tropsch fuel synthesis, and electrofuels (e-fuels)—that utilize clean hydrogen, captured carbon dioxide, and waste biomass.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The United States Should Not Turn Food Into Aviation Fuel. https://www.wri.org/research/united-states-should-not-turn-food-aviation-fuel

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The United States Should Not Turn Food Into Aviation Fuel. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/united-states-should-not-turn-food-aviation-fuel.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The United States Should Not Turn Food Into Aviation Fuel |url=https://www.wri.org/research/united-states-should-not-turn-food-aviation-fuel |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendunited, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The United States Should Not Turn Food Into Aviation Fuel}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/united-states-should-not-turn-food-aviation-fuel}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }