Transcript Energy use in buildings

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Protection of soil carbon content as a
climate change mitigation tool
Peter Wehrheim
Head of Unit, DG CLIMA
Unit A2: Climate finance and deforestation
Soil as Natural Capital: Agricultural Production, Soil Fertility
and Farmers Economy, Brussels, 23 November 2011
Green house gas cycles related to forestry,
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agriculture and soils
CH4 and N20 are
part of EU‘s
reduction
commitment!
CO2 from soils is
not!
Agriculture GHG emissions
by source (including CO2 from Energy,
without CO2 from LULUCF )
N fertilizers, manure
Again: CH4 + N20
+ are included CO2
from soils is not!
Eructed by ruminants
(80% cows)
Fuel (tractors, machinery…),
electricity…
Storage, manipulation
(50% pigs, 45% cows)
Source: EEA
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From a climate point of view:
Cows have a dual
personality!
Methane is accounted and part of the
emission reduction commitment
(Effort Sharing Decision)!
Carbon removed through grassland
(LULUCF) is NEITHER accounted NOR
part of the emission reduction
commitment!
Ecology & Farming, 4 –
2011, IFOAM Magazine
Factual information: carbon content in soils
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Croplands
 Store 17 % of the global stock of carbon in terrestrial
ecosystems (WRI, 2011); net source of emissions
 Management practices affect carbon stocks
(esp. residue-, tillage-, fertilizer-, irrigation management,
choice of crops and crop rotation)
Grasslands
 Store 34 % of global stock of carbon, predominantly in soil
(WRI, 2011)
 Land Use Change (e.g. conversion to cropland,
urbanization) turns them into major source of CO2
emissions
 Carbon stock can be increased through sustainable
grassland management (grazing, species, water/ fertilizer/
organic matter inputs, restoration)
Factual information: carbon content in soils
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Peatlands
 Cover 3% of land area, but:
 Store 30% of all global soil carbon
 Total of 550 Gt CO2 (Parish et al., 2007)
 Annual emission factors for cultivated organic
soils: 5 t CO2/ha,y in cool temperate; 10 t
CO2/ha,y in warm temperate and 20 t CO2/ha,y
in tropics (IPCC, 2006)
 Valuable carbon sink, but also major source of
emissions when degraded
CO2 emissions used from drained peat soils (in t CO2/ha,yr)
Source: Joosten (2010),
Couwenberg (2009)
(-) CO2 per year)Emission
Sinks (Gg
Emissions
(+)
Mitigation potential through Land Use, Land Use
Change and Forestry in the EU’s climate policy
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200000
• Protect the
existing sink
100000
0
2000
2005
2010
2015
-100000
-200000
Partly “natural”, but impact of
policy drivers visible
-300000
-400000
Overall decline in sink by
13% btw 2005 and 2020
2020
• Counter
existing
trends
• Increase
the
mitigation
potential of
the sector
-500000
Notation key: + Cropland management, ▲ Deforestation, – Grazing land
management, ♦ Afforestation, and ■ Forest management. Unconnected symbols
indicate reported data and connected symbols indicate model projections.
Instruments in the Commission proposal
for CAP post-2013 to protect/enhance soil
carbon content:
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Cross compliance theme “Soil and Carbon Stock”: 3 standards for
good and agricultural and environmental conditions (GAEC):
 Minimum soil cover
 Maintenance of soil organic matter level including ban on burning arable stubble
 Protection of wetland and carbon rich soils including a ban on first ploughing
Pillar I – Greening component - Payments for agricultural practices
beneficial for the climate and the environment:
 Crop diversification, permanent grassland, ecological focus areas
Pillar II: Good options to address “hotspots” on soil management
 Multiple possibilities building on experience from Health Check
 Agri-environment-climate measure, forest-environment and climate services
Concluding comments
 Soil carbon plays an important role in overall green
house gas emissions
 CO2 emissions from soil (Land and Land Use
Change) currently not included in EU climate policy yet
 Assessment report on how Land Use, Land Use
Change and Forestry can be included in EU climate
policy in 2012
 Future CAP will provide significant options to better
protect soil carbon and thereby make cost-effective
contributions to climate change protection
 Improving soil carbon is a „win-win“option: Good for
the climate and good for the farmer!
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Thank you for your attention!
QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION
Information about EU’s climate policy:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/clima/mission/index_en.htm