Technical Working Group on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (T-AGG)

The Technical Working Group for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (T-AGG) will lay the scientific and analytical foundation necessary for building a suite of methodologies for high-quality greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation for the agricultural sector. This sound foundation should result in wide acceptance for compliance-grade GHG within the U.S. and worldwide. Agriculture accounts for about 10%–12% of global anthropogenic emissions of GHGs. The global mitigation potential from agriculture (excluding biomass fuel offsets) is estimated to be 5,500–6,000 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (MtCO2e/yr) by 2030, most of which is from carbon sequestration (IPCC 2007). Despite the significant potential for GHG mitigation within agriculture, only a few high-quality and widely approved methodologies for quantifying agricultural GHG benefits have been developed. This project aims to generate momentum for the inclusion of agriculture as a climate change mitigation option in the U.S. and abroad. Our process involves expert assessment to ensure high-quality mitigation. It will include engagement of stakeholders and decision makers throughout.

The Nicholas Institute, working together with Duke University and Kansas State University colleagues, will coordinate and complete a transparent and scientifically founded review of GHG mitigation opportunities in the U.S. and abroad. For the best of these opportunities, the team will conduct the analytical assessments necessary to initiate development of high-integrity methodologies. This will be done with significant expert input, and will result in a series of technical reports with executive summaries for stakeholders and decision makers. The project will begin by the end of October 2009 and be completed by the end of 2011. Because of the critical role that agriculture plays in both domestic and international policies currently under discussion, the project will prioritize ongoing engagement with stakeholders, including agricultural organizations and policymakers.

We hope to work with others involved in synthesizing research or developing protocols for greenhouse gas mitigation and agriculture. We are very interested in finding ways to collaborate or cooperate as we hope our final products will be inclusive syntheses that can provide vital information to private and public entities who want to develop agricultural protocols. *Please let us know if you have related work under way that we should be aware of.*
Please e-mail T-AGGteam@nicholas.duke.edu. Lydia or Alison will respond.

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Coordinating Team:

Project Director
Lydia Olander - Senior Associate Director for Ecosystem Services, Nicholas Institute, Duke University

Research Director
Alison Eagle - Research Scientist, Duke University

Research Advisor
Rob Jackson - Chair of Global Environmental Change at the Nicholas School and Professor in the Biology Department, Duke University

Research Advisor
Charles Rice - University Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University

Economic Advisor
Brian Murray - Director of Economic Analysis at the Nicholas Institute and Research Professor at the Nicholas School, Duke University

International Advisor
Peter McCornick - Director of Water Policy, Nicholas Institute, Duke University