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4b The global implications of water and carbon management - Coggle Diagram
4b The global implications of water and carbon management
Carbon cycle
Afforestation
Planting trees in deforested areas or in areas that have never been forested
Trees are carbon sinks so can help reduce atmospheric CO2 levels in the medium to long term and combat climate change
Reduces flood risk and increases biodiversity
REDD scheme incentives developing countries to conserve their rainforests by placing a monetary value on forest conservation
Wetland restoration
Freshwater marshes, salt marshes, peatland, floodplains and mangroves. Has a water table at or near the surface causing the ground to be permanently saturated
Occupy 6-9% if the Earths land surface and contain 35% of the terrestrial carbon pool
Population growth, economic development and urbanisation places huge pressure on wetland environments
Destruction of wetlands transfers huge amounts of stored CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. There is also a loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitat destruction
In the 20th Century Canada's prairie provinces lost 70% of their wetland. Restoration projects have shown it can store on average 3.25 tonnes C/ha/year
Schemes
Focuses on raising local water tables to re-create waterlogged conditions
Wetland on floodplains can be reconnected to rivers by the removal of flood embankments and controlled flooding
Diverting or blocking drainage ditches and installing sluice gates (Artificially creating high levels)
CO2 awareness increase due to climate change
Improving agricultural practises
Unsustainable agricultural practises such as over cultivation , overgrazing and excessive intensification can often result in soil erosion and the release of large quantities of carbon to the atmosphere
Intensive livestock farming produces 100 million tonnes a year of CH4 a greenhouse gas
CH4 emissions from flooded padi rice fields from the uncontrolled decomposition of manure
Strategies
Land and crop management
Zero tillage - Growing crops without ploughing the soil conserving the soils organic content, reducing oxidation and the risk of erosion by wind and water
Polyculture growing annual crops interspersed with trees. Trees provide cover and protect soils from erosion
Crop residue - Leaving stems and leaved on fields after harvest to provide ground cover and protect against erosion
Avoiding use of heavy farm machines on wet soils which leads to compaction and the risk of erosion by surface run-off
Contour ploughing and terracing to reduce runoff
New strains of rice that grow in drier conditions and therefore produce less CH4
Livestock management
Improving quality of animal feed to reduce enteric fermentation so that less feed is converted to CH4 (mixing methane inhibitors with feed)
Manure management
Storing it in anaerobic containers and capturing CH4 as a source of renewable energy
Reducing emissions
Carbon trading/ cap and trade
Businesses are allocated an annual quota for their carbon dioxide emissions
If they emit less then they receive credits which can be traded on international markets
Businesses than exceed have to purchase additional credits or incur financial penalties
Carbon offsets are credits awarded to countries or companies for schemes such as afforestation, renewable energy and wetland restoration
International agreements
Paris Agreement aims to reduce global CO2 emissions below 60% of 2010 levels by 2050 and keep global warming below 2 degrees celcius
Not legally binding and a timetable for implementing them has yet to be agreed
Major CO2 emissions such as China and India argue that global reductions in CO2 emission are the responsibility of rich countries as they have the funds available
Water cycle
Forestry techniques
UN and WB along with other organisations and governments, fund programmes to protect tropical rainforests
REDD
Amazon regional Protected Areas (ARPA)
Covers 130 million acres of the Amazon basin
Target of 150 million acres
75% decrease in deforestation rates between 2000 and 2012
Stabilising the regional water cycle
Offsetting 1.4 billion tonnes of carbon a year
Supporting indigenous forest communities
Promoting ecotourism
Protecting the genetic bank of plant species
Water allocations
Domestic
3% of water consumption
10% water withdrawals
Industrial
4% water consumption
20% water withdrawals
Agricultural
Accounts for 70% of water withdrawal and 90% of consumption
Wastage though inefficient water management (over-irrigating crops)
Improved techniques minimise water losses to evaporation, zero soil disturbance and drip irrigation
Better water harvesting with storage in ponds and reservoirs provides farmers with extra water resources
Drainage basin planning
Run off is controlled by reforestation programmes in upland catchments, reducing artificial drainage and extending permeable surfaces in urban areas
Surface stores is improved by conserving and restoring wetlands, including temporary storage on floodplains
Groundwater levels are maintained by limiting abstraction and by artificial recharge where water is injected in aquifers through boreholes