Estimating the financial risks of Andropogon gayanus to greenhouse gas abatement projects in northern Australia
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
In this article, the authors focus on the threat of Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) to savanna burning due to its documented impacts of increased fuel loads and altered fire regimes.Abstract:
Financial mechanisms such as offsets are one strategy to abate greenhouse gas emissions, and the carbon market is expanding with a growing demand for offset products. However, in the case of carbon offsets, if the carbon is released due to intentional or unintentional reversal through environmental events such as fire, the financial liability to replace lost offsets will likely fall on the provider. This liability may have implications for future participation in programmes, but common strategies such as buffer pool and insurance products can be used to minimize this liability. In order for these strategies to be effective, an understanding of the spatial and temporal distributions of expected reversals is needed. We use the case study of savanna burning, an approved greenhouse gas abatement methodology under the Carbon Farming Initiative in Australia, to examine potential risks to carbon markets in northern Australia and quantify the financial risks. We focus our analysis on the threat of Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) to savanna burning due to its documented impacts of increased fuel loads and altered fire regimes. We assess the spatial and financial extent to which gamba grass poses a risk to savanna burning programmes in northern Australia. We find that 75% of the eligible area for savanna burning is spatially coincident with the high suitability range for gamba grass. Our analysis demonstrates that the presence of gamba grass seriously impacts the financial viability of savanna burning projects. For example, in order to recuperate the annual costs of controlling 1 ha of gamba grass infestation, 290 ha of land must be enrolled in annual carbon abatement credits. Our results show an immediate need to contain gamba grass to its current extent to avoid future spread into large expanses of land, which are currently profitable for savanna burning.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars
Jeffrey M. Novak,James A. Ippolito,Rodrick D. Lentz,Kurt A. Spokas,C.H. Bolster,K.R. Sistani,Kristin M. Trippe,Claire L. Phillips,Mark Johnson +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, the designer biochar concept is introduced, which states that biochar should be designed with properties that are tailored to specific soil deficiencies or problems, and demonstrate how careful selection of biochars can increase their effectiveness as a soil amendment.
Book ChapterDOI
Climate Change Education: A New Approach for a World of Wicked Problems
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define the special aspects of climate change education and ask: how could we educate people for transformation toward a sustainable future? What kind of holistic change in thinking and action is needed for the construction of hope and of sustainable future, what kind of pedagogical approaches can promote full humanness?
Journal ArticleDOI
Detection of rain-on-snow (ROS) events and ice layer formation using passive microwave radiometry: A context for Peary caribou habitat in the Canadian Arctic
Alexandre Langlois,Alexandre Langlois,C. A. Johnson,Benoit Montpetit,Alain Royer,Alain Royer,E. A. Blukacz-Richards,E. Neave,C. Dolant,C. Dolant,Alexandre Roy,Alexandre Roy,George B. Arhonditsis,Dong-Kyun Kim,Samarth Kaluskar,Ludovic Brucker +15 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the spatial and temporal trends in rain-on-snow and ice layer creation for 18 islands across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago over the last two decades.
Journal ArticleDOI
Water quantity and quality response of a green roof to storm events: Experimental and monitoring observations.
TL;DR: The green roof was effective in retaining precipitation quantity from storm events, although the relative fraction of water retained decreased with increases in the size of the event, and nutrient losses were low because of the strong retention of water.
Journal ArticleDOI
Multi-year and multi-location soil quality and crop biomass yield responses to hardwood fast pyrolysis biochar
David A. Laird,Jeffrey M. Novak,Harold P. Collins,James A. Ippolito,D. L. Karlen,Rodrick D. Lentz,K.R. Sistani,Kurt A. Spokas,R.S. Van Pelt +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-location field study was designed and conducted to determine if consistent response patterns could be elucidated by controlling the type and amount of biochar applied, depth of incorporation, and soil/crop management practices as much as possible for six U.S. locations.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
A safe operating space for humanity
Johan Rockström,Johan Rockström,Will Steffen,Will Steffen,Kevin J. Noone,Åsa Persson,Åsa Persson,F. Stuart Chapin,Eric F. Lambin,Timothy M. Lenton,Marten Scheffer,Carl Folke,Carl Folke,Hans Joachim Schellnhuber,Hans Joachim Schellnhuber,Björn Nykvist,Björn Nykvist,Cynthia A. de Wit,Terry P. Hughes,Sander van der Leeuw,Henning Rodhe,Sverker Sörlin,Sverker Sörlin,Peter K. Snyder,Robert Costanza,Robert Costanza,Uno Svedin,Malin Falkenmark,Malin Falkenmark,Louise Karlberg,Louise Karlberg,Robert W. Corell,Victoria J. Fabry,James Hansen,Brian Walker,Brian Walker,Diana Liverman,Diana Liverman,Katherine Richardson,Paul J. Crutzen,Jonathan A. Foley +40 more
TL;DR: Identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries that must not be transgressed could help prevent human activities from causing unacceptable environmental change, argue Johan Rockstrom and colleagues.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Anthropocene: are humans now overwhelming the great forces of Nature?
TL;DR: This work uses atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration as a single, simple indicator to track the progression of the Anthropocene, the current epoch in which humans and the authors' societies have become a global geophysical force.
Posted Content
State and trends of the carbon market 2008
Karan Capoor,Philippe Ambrosi +1 more
TL;DR: The European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) market has been successful in its mission of reducing emissions through internal abatement at home, and of stimulating emission reductions abroad as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI
How helpful is nanotechnology in agriculture
TL;DR: A review of the potential applications of nanotechnology in the field of agriculture is presented in this article, which recommends many strategies for the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge currently being examined.
MonographDOI
The nature of Northern Australia : natural values, ecological processes and future prospects
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a synthesis of the natural values and ecology of north Australia together with recommendations for actions needed to maintain these values and provide evidence for the need to take these values into account.
Related Papers (5)
Solutions for a cultivated planet
Jonathan A. Foley,Navin Ramankutty,Kate A. Brauman,E. S. Cassidy,James S. Gerber,M. Johnston,Nathaniel D. Mueller,Christine S. O’Connell,Deepak K. Ray,Paul C. West,Christian Balzer,Elena M. Bennett,Stephen R. Carpenter,Jason Hill,Chad Monfreda,Stephen Polasky,Johan Rockström,John Sheehan,Stefan Siebert,David Tilman,David P. M. Zaks +20 more
Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis
Reinhard F. Stocker,Dahe Qin,Gian-Kasper Plattner,Melinda Tignor,S. D. Allen,J. Boschung,T Stocker,Gian-Kasper Plattner,Simon K. Allen,Alexander Nauels,Yu Xia,V. Bex,Pauline M. Midgley,Matthew Collins,Reto Knutti,Julie M. Arblaster,Jean-Louis Dufresne,Thierry Fichefet,Pierre Friedlingstein,Michael Wehner,Thomas F. Stocker,S. James Allen,P. M. Midgley,F. M. Midgley,TF Stocker,Stefan Allen,SG Allen +26 more