SOIL CARBON AND CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS
From
Consortium for Agricultural
Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS)
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/ctec
Charles W. Rice, K-State Soil
Microbiology, National CASMGS Coordinator (785) 532-7217 cwrice@ksu.edu
Scott Staggenborg, K-State
Extension Northeast Area Crops and Soils Specialist (785) 532-5833 sstaggen@oznet.ksu.edu
Kent McVay, K-State Soil and
Water Conservation Specialist (785) 532-5776 kmcvay@ksu.edu
Steve Watson, CASMGS
Communications (785) 532-7105 swatson@oznet.ksu.edu
No. 28
This week's issue:
K-State:
* Economic and Energy Analysis of Management Practices to Sequester Carbon: Continuous Corn, K-State Study
Research:
* Black Soot May Be Responsible for 25 Percent of Global Warming
National:
* IBM Joins
*
* Entergy First
International:
* Carbon Sinks: Progress at the International COP-9 Conference on Climate Change
* Australia-New
* Price for European Carbon Dioxide Emissions Credits Doubles in 2003
* GMO Trees Okayed For Use As Carbon Sink
**********
ECONOMIC AND ENERGY
ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
TO SEQUESTER CARBON:
CONTINUOUS CORN, K-STATE STUDY
A long-term study by
Ray Lamond and Chuck Rice, K-State agronomists, at the North Agronomy Farm in
Manhattan has compared the effect of tillage systems (no-till or conventional
tillage), nitrogen sources (manure or commercial fertilizer), and nitrogen rates
(0, 75, and 150 lbs N per acre) in a continuous corn system under dryland
conditions. Data has been taken on carbon sequestration rates, crop yields, and
net returns from the different management practices.
The 1991-1999 data from
that study has been analyzed by Jeff Williams, Department of Agricultural
Economics; Richard Nelson, Extension Energy Service; and agricultural economics
graduate student Dustin Pendell. The economists wanted to find out how much money
producers would have to get for carbon credits in order to encourage them to
switch to either no-till or use of manure in a continuous corn production
system in northeast Kansas. The authors summarize the results as follows:
1. Gross carbon (C) sequestration
rates were highest for no-till, manure, and the highest N rates. This analysis
began by comparing the soil organic C levels in the soil at the 6-inch depth
under the different treatments.
Did no-till have
higher rates of C sequestration than conventional tillage? Yes. Comparing the two
tillage systems at the fertilizer rate of 150 lbs N per acre, the no-till
treatments had an increase compared to conventional tillage.
* No-till
sequestered 0.198 tons C/acre/year more than conventional tillage in manure
plots.
* No-till
sequestered a gross amount of 0.059 tons C/acre/year more than conventional
tillage in ammonium nitrate plots.
Did N source affect
C sequestration? Yes. Comparing the manure with commercial fertilizer (ammonium
nitrate) treatments under the no-till system, the manure resulted in more C
sequestration:
* No-till with
manure had the highest gross C sequestration rate: 1.24 tons C/acre/year.
* No-till with
ammonium nitrate was next at 1.09 tons C/acre/year.
2. Net C
sequestration rates were then calculated. This was done by starting with the
gross soil C sequestration rates and subtracting out the amount of carbon dioxide
(CO2) released through the use and manufacture of inputs for each management
practice. Carbon releases include the amount of fuel combustion used in field
operations, the energy consumed in manufacturing inputs, and the energy released
from the raw material of the inputs. The scientists found that:
* No-till had lower
CO2 emissions from production inputs than conventional tillage.
* The use of manure had
lower CO2 emissions than the use of ammonium nitrate.
As a result, no-till
and manure treatments had higher net C sequestration rates, as well as higher
gross C sequestration rates, than conventional tillage and ammonium nitrate
treatments.
* No-till with
manure had the highest net C sequestration rate, at 1.21 tons C/acre/year.
* No-till with
ammonium nitrate had the next highest net C sequestration rate, at 1.03 tons
C/acre/year.
3. Net returns for
no-till were higher than returns from conventional tillage because of lower
costs. Corn yields were about the same for no-till and conventional tillage. As
a result, payments for carbon credits would not be needed in order to encourage
producers in northeast
4. Net returns were
lower for plots fertilized with manure than for plots fertilized with ammonium
nitrate because of lower yield in the manure plots. As a result, payments of
$27.22 per acre for carbon credits would be necessary to encourage producers to
switch from ammonium nitrate fertilizer to manure.
For more
information, contact Jeff Williams at jwilliam@agecon.ksu.edu
or see:
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/ctec/Fall%20Forum%20pdf%20files/Wednesday/Jeff_Williams_slides.pdf
-- Steve Watson swatson@oznet.ksu.edu
**********
Black
Soot may be responsible
for
25 percent of Global Warming
New research from NASA scientists suggests emissions of black soot alter the way sunlight reflects off snow. According to a computer simulation, black soot may be responsible for 25 percent of observed global warming over the past century.
Soot in the higher latitudes of the Earth, where ice is more common, absorbs more of the sun's energy and warmth than an icy, white background. Dark-colored black carbon, or soot, absorbs sunlight, while lighter colored ice reflects sunlight.
Soot in areas with snow and ice may play an important role
in climate change. Also, if snow- and ice-covered areas begin melting, the
warming effect increases, as the soot becomes more concentrated on the snow
surface. "This provides a positive feedback (i.e. warming); as glaciers
and ice sheets melt, they tend to get even dirtier," said Dr. James
Hansen, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies,
Hansen and Larissa Nazarenko, both of the Goddard Institute and Columbia University's Earth Institute, found soot's effect on snow albedo (solar energy reflected back to space), which has been neglected in previous studies, may be contributing to trends toward early springs in the Northern Hemisphere, thinning Arctic sea ice, melting glaciers and permafrost. Soot also is believed to play a role in changes in the atmosphere above the oceans and land.
"Black carbon reduces the amount of energy reflected by snow back into space, thus heating the snow surface more than if there were no black carbon," Hansen said.
Soot's increased absorption of solar energy is especially effective in warming the world's climate. "This forcing is unusually effective, causing twice as much global warming as a carbon-dioxide forcing of the same magnitude," Hansen noted.
Hansen cautioned, although the role of soot in altering global climate is substantial, it does not alter the fact greenhouse gases are the primary cause of climate warming during the past century. Such gases are expected to be the largest climate forcing for the rest of this century.
The researchers found that observed warming in the Northern Hemisphere was large in the winter and spring at middle and high latitudes. These observations were consistent with the researchers' climate model simulations, which showed some of the largest warming effects occurred when there was heavy snow cover and sufficient sunlight.
-- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/1223blacksoot.html
**********
IBM
Joins
IBM has become a charter member of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), and has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent below the average of its 1998-2001 baseline by 2006.
According to a media release from the CCX, IBM has already cut its greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy consumption by a total of 61.3 percent, of which 33 percent was due to energy conservation measures.
"Successfully addressing climate change will require a variety of tools, including conservation, technological advances, and market-based programs," said Wayne S. Balta, IBM's Vice President for Corporate Environmental Affairs & Product Safety.
"IBM is joining this pilot program because it is consistent with the company's belief in supporting market-based solutions and participating in voluntary efforts to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," he continued.
**********
GHG
Reporting Guidelines
After two days of debate at UN headquarters in
The new guidelines, which amend section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, are meant to improve the accuracy and completeness of greenhouse gas emissions data in the national registry created by 1605(b). The DOE touted the move as a significant step in national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas intensity.
Under the revised guidelines, a wide range of entities, including utilities, manufacturers, landowners, and citizens, will be able to register their greenhouse gas emissions reductions if they provide entity-wide emissions data and demonstrate entity-wide emission reductions after 2002.
The new rules will be published in the Federal Register for
a 60-day consultation period.
**********
Entergy
First
Geologic
Carbon Sequestration Credits
Entergy, an energy company based in
Entergy is the first
Entergy made a voluntary commitment in May 2001 to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions from its power plants at year 2000 levels through 2005. To support this goal, the company also dedicated $25 million in supplemental funding through a new Environmental Initiatives Fund to support and fund projects such as this carbon sequestration transaction.
Carbon dioxide emissions captured in geologic sequestration enables the recovery of petroleum reserves that would not typically be recovered by conventional means.
Falcon Environmental Services, located in Houston, was instrumental in linking Entergy and Blue Source together in order to accomplish this transaction.
Source: Entergy Corporation
**********
Carbon
Sinks: Progress at the
International
COP-9 Conference on Climate Change
The Ninth Session of the UN Conference of the Parties to the
Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as the COP-9 Conference, was
held
A more detailed report on the results of the COP-9 conference can be found at: http://www.pewclimate.org/what_s_being_done/in_the_world/cop_9_milan.cfm
The issue at the COP-9 conference perhaps most important to those involved in carbon sequestration efforts is that of carbon sinks. Carbon sinks are activities or projects that sequester carbon. Examples include management of agricultural soils, reforestation and afforestation projects, geologic carbon sequestration projects, and deep ocean sequestration projects.
There has been considerable debate among countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and especially the European Union (EU), about whether to allow industries to invest in carbon sinks in developing countries to offset part of their carbon emissions. At the moment, the most common type of carbon sink activity is reforestation or afforestation. (Reforestation is the re-planting of trees on old forest ground; afforestation is the new planting of trees on non-forest ground.)
In general, many officials within the EU have opposed the
use of carbon sinks within the context of the upcoming EU Emissions Trading
Scheme. The
There are three main concerns about carbon sinks within the EU:
* The permanence of the carbon sequestered in such sinks (trees could be burned or cut down and the carbon re-released into the atmosphere);
* A large quantity of carbon credits from carbon sink projects could flood the newly forming carbon credit markets and drive down the price of carbon credits; and
* Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could be used in carbon sink projects.
At the COP-7 conference in Marrakech a couple years ago, an agreement was reached for the first time to allow reforestation and afforestation carbon sink projects to qualify as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. CDM projects are those defined under the Kyoto Protocol as greenhouse gas offset projects in developing countries. Industries in developed countries can invest in CDM projects and receive certified emission reduction (CER) credits. Decisions on how carbon sinks would actually work were left for later.
At the recent COP-9 conference, an agreement was reached on some of these details. To address the question of permanence, the COP decided to define two types of CERs from carbon sinks: temporary CERs and long-term CERs. Buyers of CERs can choose which type of CER they want for a given carbon sink project. The COP also decided to let each country to decide on their own whether to accept carbon sink projects that involve GMOs.
Although the COP has made some progress in deciding how carbon sink CDM projects will be handled under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme can still decide on its own to limit or prohibit the use of carbon sinks within its trading system.
-- Steve Watson swatson@oznet.ksu.edu
**********
Australia-New
Climate
Change Projects
The Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, Pete Hodgson, and the Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage, David Kemp, have announced details of the first projects to be undertaken under the Australia-New Zealand Bilateral Climate Change Partnership.
The partnership, formally announced by the two governments in July this year, aims to focus on concrete ways to address climate change, particularly at a regional level. The first partnership projects include:
* Work to enhance climate monitoring and prediction in the South-West Pacific Region;
* Measures to facilitate local government engagement and action on greenhouse gas abatement and other climate change issues;
* The development of common energy efficiency regulatory requirements;
* Measures to develop a better understanding of Australian/New Zealand climate variability and predictability;
* Analysis of past climate behavior at a regional level to help model future climate change scenarios; and
* Collaborative work to reduce emissions of synthetic greenhouse gases.
The Ministers also announced that Climate Change and Business: The Australia-New Zealand Conference and Trade Expo 2004, jointly sponsored by the Australian and New Zealand Governments, would be held in Auckland next November. This high-level international conference will profile business opportunities arising from responses to climate change.
More information is available on the conference website: http://www.climateandbusiness.com
**********
Price
for European carbon dioxide emissions
credits
doubles in 2003
[NOTE:
The EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) will impose binding targets for CO2
emissions from large emitters, including production and processing of ferrous
metals; electricity and heat generation with rated thermal input exceeding
20MW; building materials (cement, glass, ceramics), and production of pulp and
paper. Some 13,000 installations across
Since the first trade in February 2003, the price for a tonne of carbon dioxide –- Europe’s newest commodity –- more than doubled by the end of 2003, according to Point Carbon’s Carbon Market Indicator.
Point Carbon has tracked the prices quoted in the European carbon market from the beginning through its Carbon Market Indicator (CMI). The CMI has increased from about 6 Euros/tCO2 in April 2003 to the current level of 12.50 Euros/tCO2. The bid-offer spread has narrowed over time, which contributes to substantiating the market and provides clearer price signals.
The EU greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme (EU ETS)
officially starts on
“We expect activity to rise in Q1 2004, but substantial growth can probably not be expected before the end of March, when each country’s national allocation plan must be submitted to the European Commission,” said Atle C. Christiansen, Director of Research at Point Carbon. The national allocation plan will determine how many EAUs there are in the market and to which companies they are allocated.”
-- Point Carbon
(http://www.pointcarbon.com), Dec. 23, 2003
**********
GMO
Trees Okayed For
Use
As Carbon Sink
UN diplomats reached an agreement in principle to include genetically-modified (GMO) trees in forests planted for the specific purpose of soaking up greenhouse gases.
The agreement made at an Environmental summit in Milan (the COP-9 Conference) will allow scientists to develop fast-growing trees with a maximized capability of storing carbon dioxide, one of the gases thought likely to be responsible for the heating of the earth's atmosphere.
Under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, rich countries will be able to plant forests in the developing world and offset the amount of gas absorbed against their own greenhouse gas emissions.
The agreement in principle was scheduled to be sent to EU environment ministers.
As part of the compromise draft plan, countries that have proposed to plant genetically-modified forests must carry out detailed risk assessments and avoid the planting of what are known as invasive species trees - those that drive out species native to the region.
Under
-- Point Carbon,
**********
MEETINGS OF INTEREST
CASMGS Forum: Can
Agriculture and Energy Partner Using Soil Carbon Sequestration to Offset
Greenhouse Gases?
For more information,
contact: tanveer@tamu.edu (979-845-3153) or see:
http://agecon.tamu.edu/faculty/mccarl/acs/casmgs_conf_send.htm
Send comments or items for the
newsletter to Steve Watson at:
<swatson@oznet.ksu.edu>
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