Farms and forests could store greenhouse gases
A change in land-management practices could make up for one-fifth of U.S. emissions.
When it comes to climate change, farms and forests could be diamonds in the rough, according to two new reports from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a nonprofit think tank.
These two sectors are in the unique position of being both sources and sinks of climate-affecting gases (such as CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide). With changes, the two industries combined could offset up to one-fifth of current U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, according to Pew.
In Agriculture’s Role in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, the group argues for “suitable payments” to farmers to encourage new management practices to store carbon in soils and reduce emissions of nitrous oxide and methane. The second report, Agricultural and Forestlands: U.S. Carbon Policy Strategies, offers a range of policy approaches that could move these industries toward more climate-friendly techniques.
