Why are agricultural and forestry sequestration activities important?
Forests and soils have a large influence on atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the most important global warming gas emitted by human activities. Tropical deforestation is responsible for about 20% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions (IPCC Special Report on LULUCF (2000) ). On a global scale, however, these emissions are more than offset by the uptake of atmospheric CO2 by forests and agriculture. Therefore, agricultural and forestry activities can both contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, as well as be used to help prevent climate change, by avoiding further emissions and by sequestering additional carbon. Sequestration activities can be carried out immediately, appear to present relatively cost-effective emission reduction opportunities, and may generate environmental co-benefits. At the same time, it is important to recognize that carbon sequestered in trees and soils can be released back to the atmosphere, and that there is a finite amount o
Related Questions
- What is the policy for forestry and agricultural lands under conservation easements; i.e. can a landowner still harvest the timber, and what farming practices would be acceptable?
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