SOIL
CARBON AND CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS
From
Consortium for Agricultural Soils
Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS)
http://soilcarboncenter.k-state.edu
Charles W. Rice, K-State Department of
Agronomy, National CASMGS Director
(785) 532-7217 cwrice@ksu.edu
Scott Staggenborg, K-State Department of
Agronomy (785) 532-7214 sstaggen@ksu.edu
Steve Watson, CASMGS Communications (785)
532-7105 swatson@ksu.edu
November 18, 2009
No. 73
Science:
* Forests
important to future carbon sequestration, but low nitrogen availability could
limit potential
* Specially
treated urea fertilizers may reduce nitrous oxide emissions
* New studies re-examine
biofuel’s effect on greenhouse gases
* Fixing a critical climate
accounting error
National:
*
Status of climate change legislation in
*
Officials
discuss linking regional
*
U.S. CO2 emissions fall by
5.9 percent in 2009
* Packard
Foundation awards grant for work on agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation
**********
Forests
important to future carbon sequestration, but Low nitrogen availability could
limit potential
Forests are important in
reducing the green house gas carbon dioxide (CO2). For the period
2000-2007, it has been estimated that from the 8.9 billion ton of carbon
released by human activities, approximately 46% is returned to the atmosphere.
The remaining 54% is removed by being absorbed in oceans and taken up by
forests and other vegetation. The role of forest growth is assumed to increase
in the future due to climate change and increasing CO2
concentrations.
So-called Earth System
Models, making predictions for the globe, estimate that the effect from
increased forest growth can be very large. Research results, based on
measurements at hundreds of European forest monitoring plots, however, indicate
that the effects of increased forest growth on CO2 increase are
overestimated when neglecting the limitation imposed by low nitrogen
availability. Low availability of other nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium,
can also limit the growth. Overall, nutrient limitation may reduce the
estimated forest growth increase by a factor of more than two. This is one of
the results of a study published in a special issue of Forest Ecology and Management of
September, edited by Wim de Vries of Alterra, part of Wageningen UR.
Despite nutrient limitations,
it is expected that the carbon pool in trees could increase by 35-40% by 2100
due to future environmental change. It should be noted, says Wim de Vries, that
this is an average value with large regional variations. Climate change will
not lead to an increase in carbon sequestration all over
For more information, see:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009.091007103059.htm
-- Science Daily, October 8, 2009
**********
Specially
treated urea fertilizers
May
reduce nitrous oxide emissions
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that using
alternative types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, at
least in one part of the country. They are currently examining whether the
alternatives offer similar benefits nationwide.
Nitrogen fertilizers are often a necessity for ensuring sufficient crop yields,
but their use leads to release of nitrous oxide, a major greenhouse gas, into
the atmosphere. Fertilizer use is one reason an estimated 78 percent of the
nation's nitrous oxide emissions come from agriculture, according to Ardell
Halvorson, a soil scientist at the ARS Soil Plant Nutrient Research Laboratory
in
Halvorson compared nitrous oxide emissions from corn fields treated with either
a conventional nitrogen fertilizer (urea) or either of two specially formulated
urea fertilizers-one with "controlled release" polymer-coated
pellets, and the other with inhibitors added to "stabilize" the urea
to keep more of it in the soil as ammonium for a longer period.
In a two-year experiment at
Halvorson's results are so far limited to the irrigated fields and cool,
semi-arid conditions in and around
For more information, see:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov09/nitrous1109.htm
-- USDA-ARS News Service,
November 17, 2009
**********
New
studies re-examine biofuel’s
effect
on greenhouse gases
A
global biofuels program will lead to intense pressures on land
supply and can increase greenhouse gas emissions from land-use changes.
Using linked economic and terrestrial biogeochemistry models, Jerry
Melillo with the Marine Biological
Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, and colleagues examined direct and indirect effects of possible
land-use changes from an expanded global cellulosic bioenergy
program on greenhouse gas emissions over the 21st century. Their
model predicts that indirect land use will be responsible for
substantially more carbon loss (up to twice as much) than direct
land use; however, because of predicted increases in fertilizer use,
nitrous oxide emissions will be more important than carbon losses
themselves in terms of warming potential. A global greenhouse gas
emissions policy that protects forests and encourages best practices
for nitrogen fertilizer use can dramatically reduce emissions associated
with biofuels production.
--
Science Express, October 22, 2009
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1180251
**********
fixing
a critical
climate
accounting error
An important but fixable
error in legal accounting rules for bioenergy could undermine efforts to reduce
greenhouse gases by encouraging deforestation, accounting to new analysis by 13
prominent scientists and land-use experts. The team of experts published
its analysis as a “Policy Forum” article in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Science.
In the article, the team
explains that rules for applying the Kyoto Protocol and national cap and trade
laws make a mistake by exempting the carbon dioxide emitted by bioenergy –
energy derived from burning wood and other vegetation – regardless of its
source. This legally makes bioenergy from any source, even that generated by
clearing the world’s forests, a potentially cheap, yet false, way to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by foresters and farmers as well as oil companies,
power plants and industry as they face tighter pollution limits.
According to a number of
studies, including one by the U.S. Department of Energy, replicating this
loophole in a global climate treaty could lead to the loss of most of the
world’s natural forests as carbon caps tighten.
“The solution, which we
explain in our paper, is to count all carbon dioxide emissions from energy use,
whether from fossil fuels or bioenergy and then develop a system to credit
bioenergy to the extent it uses biomass derived from ‘additional’ carbon
sources, which offset energy emissions,” says William L. Chameides, dean of the
Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, and co-lead author of
the article.
The burning of bioenergy and
fossil energy release comparable amounts of carbon dioxide from tailpipes or
smokestacks, but bioenergy use may reduce emissions overall if the biomass
results from additional plant growth, which absorbs carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and offsets the emissions from the eventual burning of the biomass
for energy.
On the other hand, using
carbon that would otherwise be stored in forests adds carbon to the atmosphere
in the same way as using carbon otherwise stored underground in carbon or crude
oil.
--
For complete details, see:
http://nicholas.duke.edu/news/ns-forest.10.22.09.html
**********
Status of climate change
legislation In
The U.S. Senate
Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee passed the Boxer-Kerry climate
change legislation out of committee on November 5, 2009. This bill would
establish a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases, and is the same in many
respects from the Waxman-Markey bill passed earlier this year by the U.S. House
of Representatives. Among many other things, the bill includes a goal of reducing US emissions 20 per cent
below 2005 levels by 2020.
In addition, Sen. Debbie
Stabenow (D-Mich.) and five co-sponsors introduced legislation that would add
an agriculture piece, including an agricultural offsets program, to the
Boxer-Kerry draft. Termed the Clean Energy Partnership Act, this legislation
will be added to the Kerry-Boxer cap-and-trade bill. The Stabenow bill would put USDA in charge of
agriculture and forestry offset programs, and provide various types of support
and numerous incentives to agriculture and forestry.
The Clean Energy Partnership
Act lists specific eligible offset types. They include:
• Coalmine methane, landfill
gas and fugitive emissions from the oil and gas sector
• Projects involving
afforestation or reforestation of acreage not forested as of January 1, 2009
• Forest management and
reduced deforestation
• Carbon capture and storage
• Recycling and waste
minimization projects
• Projects relating to
agricultural, grassland and rangeland management
• Animal management
practices
• Urban tree-planting
The bill does not specify which
existing voluntary carbon credit registries would be eligible to issue
compliance-worthy carbon credits in this new system, however. This is important
because it would affect whether those in current voluntary carbon markets would
be eligible to be accepted into any new federal greenhouse gas market system.
Under
the Stabenow bill, companies subject to mandatory carbon caps can buy carbon
credits – but these carbon credits must come from offset programs that have
approved project standards, methodologies, and protocols.
Examples
of current voluntary programs that may or may not be approved for inclusion in
any new federal system include the Voluntary Carbon Standard, Climate Action
Reserve (the California-based voluntary offset standard), the American Carbon
Registry, and the Chicago Climate Exchange.
What
happens now? The Senate finance, energy, agriculture, commerce and foreign
relations committees are all expected to hold hearings on portions of the bill.
Once they have completed their hearings, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is
expected to merge the Kerry-Boxer bill with the energy bill, which passed out
of committee with bipartisan support in June. The energy bill requires
utilities to generate 15 per cent of their electricity from renewable energy
sources or energy efficiency improvements by 2021.
To
try to gain the 60 votes needed for passage of any climate change legislation
in the Senate, there is likely to be an additional changes made to the bill to
expand the areas where oil and natural gas companies can drill in the US,
provide subsidies to the nuclear power industry, and funnel money toward the
development of carbon capture and sequestration technology.
The
differences between Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey will be worked out in a
conference committee if and when the Senate passes Kerry-Boxer.
Agricultural
organizations remain divided in their support or opposition to federal climate
change legislation.
-- Steve Watson, CASMGS
Communications
**********
Officials discuss linking
regional
Regional
They discussed how they might merge their cap-and trade systems if
a federal scheme fails to emerge. Linking would provide greater carbon market
liquidity and prevent manufacturers from moving across state lines to avoid regulation,
they said. But certain policy elements would need to be aligned for the systems
to recognize each other’s allowances, and there are still big differences
between the programs.
“In order to have a functioning, three-region market, there are
certain things that would have to line up. What we were doing this morning is
exploring what those things are,” said Doug Scott, who represents the
seven-member Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. Michael Gibbs, who
represents the 11-member Western Climate Initiative (WCI), said the systems do
not have to be identical to be linked, but listed policies that would be “deal
breakers.”
“Some deal breakers people talk about is a safety valve or price
cap,” Gibbs said. “If you are in a program that doesn’t have a price cap and
you think that is a bad policy, you can’t link with somebody that does have a
price cap or you in essence have their price cap.”
-- Carbon Market
http://www.pointcarbon.com/polopoly_fs/1.1289861!CMNA20091113.pdf
**********
5.9
percent in 2009
The U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA) projects carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels
in 2009 to be 5.9 percent below the 2008 level. Projected coal CO2 emissions
will fall by 10.1 percent in 2009, primarily because of lower consumption for
electricity generation. Coal accounts for 63 percent of the total decline in
CO2 emissions from fossil fuels this year. Forecast lower natural gas and
petroleum emissions this year make up 7 percent and 30 percent of the projected
total decline in CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, respectively.
A
decline in coal, natural gas, and electricity consumption in the industrial sector,
a result of the weak economy, accounts for 140 million metric tons, or about 40
percent, of the total projected reduction in CO2 emissions.
Forecast
coal, natural gas, and electricity consumption in the commercial and residential
sectors is also lower this year because of the weak economy, a slightly warmer
winter, and milder summer.
Projected
reductions in CO2 emissions associated with changes in the electricity generation
mix reflect both increases in emission-free
generation from hydropower, wind, and nuclear power and, with substantially
lower natural gas prices, decisions by some electricity suppliers to back out
some coal generation in favor of natural gas generation.
The
decline in CO2 emissions from petroleum consumption, which occurs primarily in
economy-related reductions in jet
fuel and distillate fuel consumption, accounts for the other 30 percent of the
forecast reduction in CO2 emissions.
But emissions will be on the
upswing next year, the EIA said. The agency predicts emissions will rise 1.1
per cent in 2010 as the economy improves.
The
full EIA report can be found at:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/FTPROOT/forecasting/2009_sp_06.pdf
**********
Packard Foundation Awards Grant
for Work on
Agricultural Greenhouse Gas
Mitigation
The Nicholas Institute for
Environmental Policy Solutions at
The Packard Foundation grant
will fund a two-year initiative by T-AGG to conduct a transparent, scientifically
based review of greenhouse gas mitigation opportunities in the
The team’s findings will be
published by the Nicholas Institute in a series of technical reports with
executive summaries for stakeholders and decision makers. The project began in
October 2009 and be completed by mid-2011.
“Our goal is to provide the
scientific and analytical foundation needed for high-quality market, state and
federal agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in the United States,
and begin to assess the next steps for international agriculture as well,” says
Lydia Olander, senior associate director of ecosystem services at the Nicholas
Institute.
“This will be done with
significant expert and practitioner input,” Olander stresses. “Ongoing
stakeholder engagement with farm groups, policy makers and other key
constituents is a priority.”
Charles W. Rice, University
Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology at
The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions provides nonpartisan
research and analysis to key stakeholders on energy and climate policy issues.
For more information, go to www.nicholas.duke.edu/institute.
The Packard Foundation, established in 1964, is a family foundation that works
to help improve the lives of children, enable the creative pursuit of science, advance
reproductive health, and conserve and restore the Earth’s natural
systems.
For more information, see: http://www.packard.org/home.aspx.
-- Lydia Olander, lydia.olander@duke.edu
**********
MEETINGS OF INTEREST
December 7-18
15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP15)
and 5th Meeting of the Parties to the
http://unfccc.int
August 29-September 3, 2010
The 9th International NCCR
Climate Summer School
Adaptation and Mitigation:
Responses to Climate Change
Grindelwald,
http://www.nccr-climate.unibe.ch/summer_school/2010/
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