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Management Strategies to Protect the Global Carbon Cycle - Coggle Diagram
Management Strategies to Protect the Global Carbon Cycle
Wetland Restoration
Wetlands store 35% of the world's terrestrial carbon pool. They can store 3.25 tonnes of C/ha/year.
Wetland areas include: freshwater marshes, salt marshes, peatlands, floodplains and mangroves.
Destruction of wetlands leads to a loss in biodiversity and habitats as well as more transfers of CO2 and CH4 into the atmosphere.
Restoration focuses on increasing water tables and recreating water logged conditions. This can be done by linking areas to rivers/seas or blocking srainage ditches (so defences are breached).
In the UK, up to 400ha of grade 1 farmland in East Cambridgeshire is being converted back into wetlands. Canada's prairie provinces lost 70% of their wetlands in the 20thC.
Afforestation
By doing this, CO2 in the atmosphere is reduced as it is now stored in the biosphere, flood risks and soil erosion decrease and biodiversity increases.
Planting trees in deforested areas or new areas that have never been forested before.
The REDD scheme:
the UN's reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation scheme encourages developing countries to conserve their rainforest by placing value of forest conservation.
China:
government sponsored afforestation project in 1978 which aims to afforest 400,000km2 of land by 2050.
Agricultural Practices
Overcultivation, overgrazing and excessive intensification = more soil erosion and CO2 released into the atmosphere.
Intensive livestock farming releases 100 million tonnes/year of CH4. CH4 is also released from rice plains and the uncontrolled decomposition of manure.
Land and Crop Management:
polyculture (growing annual crops to have ground cover all year and protect soil from erosion), avoiding use of heavy machinery on wet soil (to reduce risk of erosion by surface run off).
Livestock Management:
improving quality of animal feed to reduce fermentation so less converted to CH4 (mixing methane inhibitors with the feed).
Manure Management
: reducing CH4 emissions by controlling decomposition of manure. Storing manure in anaerobic containers and capturing CH4 as a source of energy.
International Agreements
KYOTO PROTOCOL 1997
- most rich countries agreed to legally binding reductions in their CO2 emissions. Several rich countries e.g. China and Australia refused to ratify the treaty. The agreement expired in 2012.
PARIS AGREEMENT 2015
- aims to reduce CO2 emissions below 60% of 2010 levels by 2015 and keep warming blow 2ºC. Not legally binding, countries set their own targets. Rich countries will transfer resources and technology to poorer countries to help them achieve their targets.
COP21
- aimed to limit CO2 emissions in the long term, 195 countries signed.
Cap and Trade
Businesses are allocated an annual quota for CO2 emissions. If they go over they have to incur financial penalties or pay for extra credits. If they are under, they receive carbon credits which can be traded in international markets.
An international scheme to control carbon emissions.
Carbon Offsets:
credits awarded to companies / countries for schemes e.g. afforestation, wetland restoration and renewable energy.