Increase Productivity on Land, Reduce Emissions & Boost Soil Carbon

CSIRO chief executive Megan Clark said the nation’s best scientists would collaborate with government agencies, universities and agribusinesses to find new, environmentally-friendly farming and forestry alternatives aimed at increasing productivity by 50%, while cutting carbon emissions by the same amount. Connection Research’s Graeme Philipson says the findings of a recent study highlight the opportunities for Australia to be a major international player in the technology of carbon sequestration in soil.

AAP Reports (8 February 2010):

The CSIRO has set its sights on increasing the nation’s agricultural productivity by 50 per cent, while cutting carbon emissions by the same amount.

Australia’s leading scientific organisation on Monday launched its newest research flagship program into sustainable agriculture.

Its goal is to work out how to secure the nation’s agriculture and forest industries by increasing productivity by 50 per cent, while also reducing carbon emissions intensity by at least that much between now and 2030.

CSIRO chief executive Megan Clark said farmers and foresters were facing new challenges and had to adapt.

“We simply cannot continue to farm marginal land or destroy forest for agricultural acreage this time,” she said at the launch in Canberra.

Dr Clark said the organisation’s best scientists would collaborate with government agencies, universities and agribusinesses to find new, environmentally-friendly farming and forestry alternatives.

Science and Research Minister Kim Carr said the new flagship program would conduct about $70 million worth of research and development a year.

About 60 per cent of the money would come from the federal government, with the rest mainly competitive grant funding from public and private sources.

Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said the goals were achievable and did two main things.

“They allow us to be making the transition to a low carbon economy, while at the same time taking advantage of … the increased demand for food throughout the world,” he said.

Source: www.news.theage.com.au

Graeme Philipson for Connection Research:

Carbon sequestration in soil has become a hot topic in recent month with the failure of the Copenhagen conference and the fierce debate in Australia over the government’s proposed CPRS (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) and whether agriculture and land use should be included in it. The federal opposition is promoting it as an important part of the answer to our climate change problems.

Many people have come into being with a range of soil sequestration technologies and techniques, but the debate is still in its infancy. Now Sydney based market analyst company Connection Research has released the finding of its survey of Australian practitioners and consultants in the science and economics of carbon sequestration in soil.

The survey was conducted by email in late 2009 and sponsored by software company Object Consulting. The participants were selected from a review of all individuals and organisations mentioned in newspaper and magazine articles and scientific literature in Australia in 2009. Of 167 parties identified, 82 responded.

“A number of key findings emerge,” says Connection Research’s Graeme Philipson, author of the report. “The most significant is that carbon sequestration in soil, by whatever means, is regarded as the most effective technology for removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. It is regarded as more effective than renewable energy sources, more effective than energy conservation practices, and much more effective than so-called ‘clean coal’, which is regarded with great suspicion.”

Mr Philipson says there is a strong consensus that carbon sequestration in soil is the only way that significant amounts of CO₂ can be removed from the atmosphere. Renewables and capture will take a long time to have any impact, whereas carbon sequestration in soil can be effective immediately.

“There is also a strong consensus that Australia has an opportunity to be a major international player in the technology of carbon sequestration in soil,” says Philipson. “But there are many challenges”.

The survey lists a number of these. They include:

• Government Policy – there is a great deal of scepticism that the Australian Government understands the issues or is able to develop an effective policy framework.
• Measurement and Verification – who will measure, verify and monitor the levels of sequestration?
• Allocation of Resources – it all costs money. Who pays? Who receives?
• Risk of Reversal – How do we know the process is permanent, or sufficiently so to make a difference?
• Education – Most people don’t know about the technology. For it to be effective and for the public to be on side, there needs to be much greater public awareness of the technology and its benefits.

The report also shows there is strong agreement that verification of offsets through carbon sequestration in soil should be done through a statutory body or some sort of government or government-accredited agency. There is little support for the market determining the credibility of the verifier. But there is a strong belief in market forces – that the market rather than the government should determine the price or carbon, and therefore the value of offsets. There is a general distrust of government as a player, but an acceptance that effective government policy should set the framework.

“We believe the evidence points towards the emergence of a large carbon trading market in Australia and worldwide,” says Graeme Philipson. “Carbon offsets will be a very important part of that market, and the sequestration of carbon in soil will be a very significant component of those offsets. While there is some uncertainty over many aspects of the technology and the economics of carbon sequestration in soil, there is no doubt that it will be an enormous subject of debate and scientific enquiry over the next decade or more.

“Organisations and individuals who move now to establish expertise and visibility in this area will be well placed to take advantage of the many developments that will occur as the market matures and the technology become more defined and more effective.”

Graeme Philipson can be contacted on 0418 609 397, or at graemep@connectionresearch.com.au

Source: www.connectionresearch.com.au