Estimation of oceanic and land carbon sinks based on the most recent oxygen budget

The Kyoto Protocol makes provisions for carbon sinks from forest management to be taken into account as a contribution towards fulfilling a country's emission reduction target. Additional emission allowances are allocated for these forest carbon sinks. If Switzerland uses this extra contingent of allowances to the full it would then only have to reduce emissions by 4.5% instead of the actual target of 8%. Emission allowances from carbon sinks can be traded on the emissions trading market and be claimed by forest owners. An assessment of the income that could be anticipated was carried out in four forestry companies: with the CO2 price set at 10 CHF per ton it was seen that a potential revenue of between 6 and 71 CHF per hectare and year could be realised. However, the legal basis for allocating emission allowances from carbon sinks to forest owners has yet to be created. In view of the fact that the two chambers of Parliament refused the introduction of the Forests Act Revision Bill, it is not clear if and in what form this will be done. For the period after 2012, the rules will be renegotiated at the international level and it is expected that the carbon stored in harvested wood products will be taken into account. Accordingly, wood removed from the forest would no longer be automatically counted as a CO2 source in the emission balance.

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The Impact of Planting Industry Structural Changes on Carbon Emissions in the Three Northeast Provinces of China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18020705 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 705

Author(s):

Hongpeng Guo ◽

Sidong Xie ◽

Chulin Pan

Keyword(s):

Carbon Emissions ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽

Industry Structure ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Carbon Sinks ◽

Resource Endowment ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

This paper focuses on the impact of changes in planting industry structure on carbon emissions. Based on the statistical data of the planting industry in three provinces in Northeast China from 1999 to 2018, the study calculated the carbon emissions, carbon absorptions and net carbon sinks of the planting industry by using crop parameter estimation and carbon emissions inventory estimation methods. In addition, the multiple linear regression model and panel data model were used to analyze and test the carbon emissions and net carbon sinks of the planting industry. The results show that: (1). The increase of the planting area of rice, corn, and peanuts in the three northeastern provinces of China will promote carbon emissions, while the increase of the planting area of wheat, sorghum, soybeans, and vegetables will reduce carbon emissions; (2). Fertilizer application, technological progress, and planting structure factors have a significant positive effect on net carbon sinks, among which the changes in the planting industry structure have the greatest impact on net carbon sinks. Based on the comprehensive analysis, it is suggested that, under the guidance of the government, resource endowment and location advantages should be given full play to, and the internal planting structure of crops should be reasonably adjusted so as to promote the development of low-carbon agriculture and accelerate the development process of agricultural modernization.

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