Only science can soothe Philip's heartburn

Philip Small, a soil scientist from Spokane, Washington USA posted this item on his blog in response to our launch. This item reminds us that there is little agreement in the field and we must have bullet-proof science to support our position.
This is despite the fact that we are heading into a political process because we are seeking to influence policy.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2006
Carbon Coalition Against Global Warming

The Carbon Coalition Against Global Warming says that the best way to combat Global Warming is to encourage farmers to cultivate deep-rooted perennial grass species and crops that can lock vast amounts of carbon up in the soil.

A new farmers’ movement was launched this week in central western New South Wales. The Carbon Coalition was launched at the Central West Conservation Farmers Association Annual Conference in Wellington.

The Carbon Coalition aims to promote organic carbon contained in agricultural soils as a carbon sink to earn tradable credits on the greenhouse emissions market.

Farmers would then be paid up to AUS$3,000 per hectare for “sequestering” carbon in the soil. To date only forests have been recognised as tradable for carbon credits.
Maybe. I have a little heartburn over an expectation that the scientific community has promoted that leads us to believe that we can create a significant, persistent sink of carbon by using established farming and forestry approaches. The signal-to-noise ratio in applicable soil carbon sequestration data seems quite high low, especially in regards to a convincing ability to actually "lock in" the soil carbon sunk in the sink. I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable if there wasn't so much money at stake. Governments and carbon generating industries seem very eager to act with little in the way of verification. Landowners, ever strapped by a system seemingly stacked against the food and fiber producer, see a key tool for economic survival. Fundamental soil science and biology get relegated to the back seat while folks work out the international carbon credit and payment mechanisms.

At the front end, soil will naturally sequester more carbon as atmospheric carbon increases. Yet no one seems to talk about measuring performance against this moving baseline. At the back end, considering the millenial timescale relevant to climate change, persistence is a very real issue.

As mentioned, I have a little heartbun about carbon credit mechanisms, but not a huge amount at this point. Work in the area of ammending soil with bio-char and, separately or in combination with bio-char, promoting mycorrhyzal fungi to produce glomalin seem both very promising in terms of the fundamental science. Both are fairly recent discoveries with huge implications. Hopefully we have a few more rabbits to pull out of the living soil hat.

Tech Tags: soil science biology carbon sequestration climate_change global_warming


POSTED BY PHILIP SMALL AT 10:41 PM
1 COMMENTS:
Kiely Family said...
Philip,__Thanks for blogging us. Your heartburn is justified if there is no science to support our position. We are only appealing for open minds to consider the findings coming out of work done at Kanzas, Montana and Ohio State Universities and our own CSIRO in Australia. What should give you heart burn is the lockstep acceptance of forest plantation as being secure ways of locking up carbon. There are circumstances in which they can release more than they retain.__Once again, thanks for blogging us.___Michael Kiely

Calculating volume and value of soil carbon

(This is an excerpt from a paper by Dr Christine Jones*, produced for the Living Soils seminars held in NSW recently. Information about Christine's Managing The Carbon Cycle Forums for the second half of this year appears at the end of this post.)

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Calculating volume and value of soil carbon

Soil carbon content is usually expressed as either a concentration (%) or a stock (t/ha). Unless the depth of measurement and soil bulk density parameters are known, it is not possible to accurately convert from one unit of measurement to the other.

For the sake of illustration however, some simple assumptions can be made. Changes in the stock of soil carbon (t/ha) for each 1% change in measured organic carbon (OC) status for a range of soil bulk densities and measurement depths are shown in Table 1. Numbers in brackets represent tCO2 equivalent. An explanation of these terms follows.

Soil bulk density (g/cm3) is the dry weight (g) of one cubic centimetre (cm3) of soil. The higher the bulk density the more compact the soil. Generally, soils of low bulk density are well structured and have ‘more space than stuff’. The lower the bulk density the more room for air and water and the better the conditions for soil life and nutrient cycling. Bulk density usually increases with soil depth. To simplify the table it was assumed that soil bulk density did not change with depth

CO2 equivalent. Every tonne of carbon lost from soil adds 3.67 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to the atmosphere. Conversely, every 1 t/ha increase in soil organic carbon represents 3.67 tonnes of CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere and removed from the greenhouse gas equation.

For example, from TABLE 1 we can see that a 1% increase in organic carbon in the top 20 cm of soil with a bulk density of 1.2 g/cm3 represents a 24 t/ha increase in soil OC which equates to 88 t/ha of CO2 sequestered.

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TABLE 1. Changes in the stock of soil carbon (tC/ha) for each 1% change in measured organic carbon (OC) status for a range of soil bulk densities and measurement depths. Numbers in brackets represent tCO2 equivalent.


.....................Value of soil carbon.................

Sequestered carbon is a tradeable commodity. It has different values in different markets and the price is subject to market fluctuation. If the CO2 equivalent in the above example was worth $15/t, the value of sequestered soil carbon in ‘carbon credits’ would be $1,056/ha. If the soil carbon concentration was increased by 1% to a depth of 30cm rather than to 20 cm, this would represent 132 t/ha sequestered CO2 at a value of $1,980/ha.

If organic carbon concentrations were increased by 2% to a depth of 30 cm in the same example, this would represent $3,960/ha, that is, almost $400,000 in ‘carbon credits’ per 100 ha of regenerated land. These levels of increase in soil carbon are achievable, and have already been achieved, by landholders practicing regenerative cropping and grazing practices.

Even if organic carbon levels were only increased by 0.5% in the top 10 cm of soil this would represent 22 t/ha sequestered CO2 valued at $33,000 per 100 ha regenerated land (assuming a soil bulk density of 1.2 g/cm3 and a price of $15/t CO2 equivalent).

Carbon credits for sequestered carbon are not an annual payment. In order to receive further credits, the level of soil carbon would need to be further increased. It is also important that the OC level for which payment was received is maintained.

This is not difficult with regenerative regimes in which new topsoil is being formed. Biological activity is concentrated in the top 10cm of most agricultural soils, but regenerative practices rapidly expand this activity zone to 30 cm and deeper. Many benefits in addition to potential carbon credits accrue to increased root biomass and increased levels of biological activity in soil.

The majority of Australian soils have lost enormous quantities of organic carbon and this process needs to be reversed. What has gone up must come down. Soils, plants, animals and people will benefit when we take ‘recycle and re-use’ to the next logical step and recycle the excess carbon currently in the atmosphere.

Carbon and nitrogen

Nitrogen moves between the atmosphere and the topsoil in similar ways to carbon. The main difference is that the ‘way in’ for atmospheric carbon is via green plants whereas the ‘way in’ for atmospheric nitrogen is soil microbes. Soils acting as net sinks for carbon are usually also acting as net sinks for nitrogen. The flip side is that soils losing carbon are usually losing nitrogen too. In poorly aerated soils, some of this loss is in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas up to 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, while other losses include easily leached nitrate (NO3-) which often takes calcium, magnesium and potassium with it, leaving the soil more acidic (lower pH).

Rewarding landholders for farming in ways that build new topsoil and raise levels of soil carbon and nitrogen would have a significant impact on the vitality and productivity of Australia’s rural industries, reduce the incidence of dryland salinity and soil acidity – and reduce levels of greenhouse gases.

As a bonus, regenerative farming practices result in the production of food much higher in vitamin and mineral content and lower in herbicide and pesticide residues than conventionally produced foods.

A new era

If landholders were rewarded for regenerative practices that aggregate rather than aggravate soil structure, it would move us a long way towards solving the greenhouse gas ‘problem’, without the need to measure soil carbon levels at all. Any farming practice that improves soil structure is building soil carbon. When soils become light, soft and springy, easier to dig or till and less prone to erosion, waterlogging or dryland salinity - then organic carbon levels are increasing. If soils are becoming more compact, eroded or saline – organic carbon levels are falling.

Water, energy, life, nutrients and profit will increase on-farm as soil organic carbon levels rise. The alternative is evaporation of water, energy, life, nutrients and profit if carbon is mismanaged and goes into the air.

It’s about turning carbon loss into carbon gain.

............

*Christine Jones is a grassland ecologist with more than 30 years experience studying plant species. She has a PhD in agronomy and botany.

‘Managing the Carbon Cycle’ Forums will be held in Horsham, VIC, 26-27 July 2006; Katanning, WA, 2-3 August 2006 and Kingaroy, QLD, 25-26 October 2006. See www.amazingcarbon.com or contact Christine@amazingcarbon.com

Heroes of Australian Agriculture join the Coalition

The Carbon Coalition has it's first Council, with the first Council 4 members accepting an advisory role in the campaign to have agricultural soils recognised as the repository of tradable carbon credits.
They are Christine Jones, who, in 30 years of research and teaching, has earned a reputation for scientific accuracy and belief in perennial grasses' ability to enrich soils and build carbon. Christine is Australia's best-known agrcultural soils scientist.

David Marsh, Central West Conservation Farmer of the Year 2004, is a multi-award winning grazier from Booroowa. He is a carbon farmer, devoted to the principle of soil health, and made a profit each year in the recent drought.




Col Seis, the co-inventor of Pasture Cropping, was Central West Conservation Farmer of the Year 2005, has made a major contribution to carbon farming and soil health. He is pictured presenting the CWCFA Conservation Farmer of the Year 2006 to Maree and Robert Goodear from Casslis, who signed up as members of the Carbon Coalition the moment it was announced.
Rick Maurice from Spicer's Creek is the past chairman of the Central West Conservation Farmers' Association and a long time 'carbon farmer'.
We have approached several other 'heroes' to help guide the Coalition towards its objective. Keep your ear to the ground for news.

JOIN UP NOW!

To join the CARBON COALITION, email your contact details to michael@newhorizon.au.com. Or you can respond to this blog by clicking on the "Comment" pencil below and including your contact details in the Comment box. Or you can call 0417 280 540.

Michael Kiely
Convenor

Farmers form Carbon Coalition to get credits for soil carbon storage

A new farmers’ movement was launched this week in central western New South Wales. The Carbon Coalition was launched at the Central West Conservation Farmers Association Annual Conference in Wellington.

The Carbon Coalition aims to promote organic carbon contained in agricultural soils as a carbon sink to earn tradable credits on the greenhouse emissions market.

Farmers would then be paid up to $3,000 per hectare for “sequestering” carbon in the soil. To date only forests have been recognised as tradable for carbon credits.

Convenor of the Carbon Coalition, woolgrower Michael Kiely said response to the Coalition’s “Manifesto” had been vigorous. “There were more than 200 at the conference and we’ll sign up half of those within a month or so, given current registrations,” he says. “We have even had an email from a dairy farmer in Vermont, USA offering his support.”

There are three levels of involvement growers can choose:

1. Advocacy – actively pushing the message that carbon-rich soils be recognised as the basis for tradable carbon credits.
2. Learning Centres – operations that have already adopted farm systems that add carbon to soils will become regional learning centres where other farmers can observe their techniques.
3. Register to have their soil tested and carbon levels recorded and stored in a database as a baseline “floor” so they can participate in selling their credit as soon as the system is introduced.

“If the system works like carbon sink forests are operating, farmers will be paid for increases in carbon, not for the carbon they already store in the soil. So registering and having your carbon deposits recorded is an important first step,” says Mr Kiely.

Alliances with energy companies and corporate sponsors are planned.

“Many government agencies have been trying to get farmers to retain and foster soils, to reverse the depletion due to erosion, salination and over-exploitation. This carbon credit scheme will give them a direct financial return for doing the right thing. An important side effect of soil carbon trading will be better soil management,” says Mr Kiely.

The Coalition’s Council includes several winners of the Conservation Farmer of the Year Award (Central West), including David Marsh, “Allendale”, Booroowa, and Col Seis, “Winona”, Gulgong, as well as Chairman of the Central West Conservation Farmers’ Association Rick Maurice, “Gillinghall”, Spicer’s Creek
And noted soil scientist Christine Jones from Armidale NSW.

FOR MORE INFORMATION contact Convenor Michael Kiely 0417 280 540, or Michael@newhorizon.au.com
Or visit http://carboncoalitionoz.blogspot.com (temporary site while www.carboncoalition.com.au constructed)

Soil Carbon Fact Sheet

• Carbon is the element that bears most responsibility for global warming, in the form of CO2.

• Carbon was stored (sequestered) underground in oil and coal reserves for millions of years until they were chosen as the major energy sources for modern society. Burning these carbon sinks released carbon into the atmosphere in the form of CO2.

• Governments are requiring of organizations whose activities cause greenhouse gases to be emitted to invest in carbon sinks by buying carbon ‘credits’. This market has been estimated to grow to $100bn by 2010 (Deutsche Bank) and $120bn by 2012 (Rothschild Bank Australia).

• Degraded soils can store up to 5 times more organic carbon in their surface layers that they currently hold if the soil management approach changes.

• The cheapest, most efficient and most beneficial form of organic carbon for spoil life is exudation from actively growing roots of pasture grasses and cereals.

• Soil carbon levels can be increased by adopting foms of ecological agriculture such as biodynamic, organic and biological farming. Practices include cover crops, green manures, mulches, fish and seaweed products, manures, recycled green waste, biosolids, composts, compost teas, humic substances and microbial stimulants.

• Conventional forest management causes net carbon losses due to lack of ground cover underneath, (Bare ground is a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide.)

• Natural rainforest is a net contributor to greenhouse gases because decaying trees and vegetation release methane and CO2.

• The world’s soils hold around twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and three times as much carbon as vegetation. Soil represents the largest carbon sink over which we have control.


• The terrestrial biosphere currently sequesters 2 billion metric tons of carbon annually. (US Department of Agriculture)

• Soils contain 82% of terrestrial carbon.

• "Enhancing the natural processes that remove CO2 from the atmosphere is thought to be the most cost-effective means of reducing atmospheric levels of CO2." (US Department of Energy)

• "Soil organic carbon is the largest reservoir in interaction with the atmosphere." (United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation) - Vegetation 650 gigatons, atmosphere 750 gigatons, soil 1500 gigatons

• The carbon sink capacity of the world's agricultural and degraded soils is 50% to 66% of the historic carbon loss of 42 to 78 gigatons of carbon.

• Grazing land comprises more than half the total land surface

• An acre of pasture can sequester more carbon than an acre of forest.

WE WANT YOU!

To join the CARBON COALITION, email your contact details to michael@newhorizon.au.com. Or you can respond to this blog by clicking on the "Comment" pencil below and including your contact details in the Comment box. Or you cacn call 0417 280 540.

Michael Kiely
Convenor

Hooray for Abe from Vermont!

We got this comment about the launch of the Carbon Coalition a few moments ago...

"HOORAY!!!We are grass dairy farmers in Vermont, USA. We practice Holistic Management. We practice Keyline soil-building. We believe in soilbuilding. We love atmosphere. We think it can be done. We are with you. We are working to drum up more like us. Onward!!

Abe Collins"

Photo: Big Bill's Cow Pages, www.gl.umbc.edu/~dschmi1/links/cowpics.htm

JOIN UP TODAY!

To join the CARBON COALITION, email your contact details to michael@newhorizon.au.com. Or you can respond to this blog by clicking on the "Comment" pencil below and including your contact details in the Comment box. Or you cacn call 0417 280 540.

Michael Kiely
Convenor

The Soil Carbon Manifesto

This blogsite is the temporary home for www.carboncoalition.com.au while we build the website... This blogsite will continue to be used to update you on our activities.

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Carbon Coalition is a group of concerned Australians who believe the globe is facing a crisis of CO2 overload leading to Global Warming and that one of the most effective strategies for locking up carbon in our atmosphere is to be found in fostering deep-rooted plant species on land used for agriculture.

We urge governments and the business community to acknowledge the role that agricultural soils can play in addressing the Global Warming crisis. Farmers can play a central role in sequestering carbon in their soils by fostering deep-rooted perennial plant species that have significant biomass in their root systems.

Soil biomass is a natural carbon sink and should be used to create carbon credits which can be traded alongside those currently traded for forests.

SOILS CAN SAVE THE WORLD

We stand by the following facts:

• The terrestrial biosphere currently sequesters 2 billion metric tons of carbon annually. (US Department of Agriculture)

• Soils contain 82% of terrestrial carbon.

• "Enhancing the natural processes that remove CO2 from the atmosphere is thought to be the most cost-effective means of reducing atmospheric levels of CO2." (US Department of Energy)

• "Soil organic carbon is the largest reservoir in interaction with the atmosphere." (United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation) - Vegetation 650 gigatons, atmosphere 750 gigatons, soil 1500 gigatons

• The carbon sink capacity of the world's agricultural and degraded soils is 50% to 66% of the historic carbon loss of 42 to 78 gigatons of carbon.

• Grazing land comprises more than half the total land surface

• An acre of pasture can sequester more carbon than an acre of forest.

• “Soil represents the largest carbon sink over which we have control. Improvements in soil carbon levels could be made in all rural areas, whereas the regions suited to carbon sequestration in plantation timber are limited.” Dr Christine Jones

BENEFITS FOR THE NATION AND THE COMMUNITY

The benefits of rewarding farmers for contributing to carbon sequestration include the following:

• Improved soil health, protecting our most precious national resource

• Increased soil fertility, boosting productivity and competitiveness

• Better usage of water, reducing erosion, silting, and salination

• Reduced danger of rising salt levels, lowering the water table

• Reduced loss of topsoil to wind and runoff with 100% ground cover

• Increased farm incomes, increasing viability in volatile industries

• Increased farm values, giving farm families financial flexibility

• Foster growth in farm communities, providing employment opportunities and protecting social infrastructure

FOUR LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT

There are four ways people can get involved in the Carbon Coalition:

1. Advocacy - helping to get the message to the right people, the decision makers who can make this happen.

2. Learning Centres - a network of farms which can demonstrate to farmers how to increase carbon levels in their soils and qualify for 'carbon credited' status

3. Registered Growers - primary producers who have their soils baaseline tested for carbon so they may be elegible for backdated carbon sequestration credits when the trading system begins.

4. Consumers - a "This Product is Carbon Credited" logo could be attached to consumer goods made from produce grown on Carbo0n Credited soils, giving growers the prospect of a premium market price and enabling consumers to shop knowing they are having the least effect on the environment.

ACTION PLAN

The Carbon Coalition Action Plan includes the following:

1. Recruit advocates and influencers from within industry, government, and agriculture.
2. Form partnerships with companies and organizations dedicated to the same ends.
3. Identify and validate a soil carbon testing methodology that is commercially reliable and seek official recognition of its reliability.
4. Establish a register of agricultural operators wishing to record their base line soil carbon.
5. Establish a market for soil carbon credits by engaging governments and commercial operators.
6. Act as an "aggregator" of individual farms for commercial quantities of soil carbon.
7. Seek to establish a 'carbon futures' market to bring certainty to farmers' carbon sequestration incomes.

ISSUES THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED

The following issues must be addressed immediately to achieve a valid trading system:

1. Standardisation of a soil carbon measurement methodology.
2. Perceived risks associated with security of sequestration in soil.
3. Implication of sequestration for farm management.
4. Implication of sequestration for lan ownership and transfer.

YOUR IDEAS ARE WELCOMED

We need your help.
Please nominate other issues or provide comments on the issues identified.

TO JOIN THE COALITION

Simply respond to this post via the comment facility (click on the pencil) below, sending us your email address plus other contact details. You can email this blogsite to a friend by clicking on the envelope symbol.

Thank you for your support.

Michael Kiely
Co-Convenor