A review of the potential role of greenhouse gas abatement in native vegetation management in Queensland's rangelands

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. K. Henry ◽  
T. Danaher ◽  
G. M. McKeon ◽  
W. H. Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Vegetation Management ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Land Clearing ◽  
Greenhouse Emissions

Concern about the risk of harmful human-induced climate change has resulted in international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. We review the international and national context for consideration of greenhouse abatement in native vegetation management and discuss potential options in Queensland. Queensland has large areas of productive or potentially productive land with native woody vegetation cover with approximately 76 million ha with woody cover remaining in 1991. High rates of tree clearing, predominantly to increase pasture productivity, continued throughout the 1990s with an average 345,000 ha/a estimated to have been cleared, including non-remnant (woody regrowth) as well as remnant vegetation. Estimates of greenhouse gas emissions associated with land clearing currently have a high uncertainty but clearing was reported to contribute a significant proportion of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 (21%) to 1999 (13%). In Queensland, greenhouse emissions from land clearing were estimated to have been 54.5 Mt CO2-e in 1999. Management of native vegetation for timber harvesting and the proliferation of woody vegetation (vegetation thickening) in the grazed woodlands also represent large carbon fluxes. Forestry (plantations and native forests) in Queensland was reported to be a 4.4 Mt CO2-e sink in 1999 but there are a lack of comprehensive data on timber harvesting in private hardwood forests. Vegetation thickening is reported for large areas of the c. 60 million ha grazed woodlands in Queensland. The magnitude of the carbon sink in 27 million ha grazed eucalypt woodlands has been estimated to be 66 Mt CO2-e/a but this sink is not currently included in Australia's inventory of anthropogenic greenhouse emissions. Improved understanding of the function and dynamics of natural and managed ecosystems is required to support management of native vegetation to preserve and enhance carbon stocks for greenhouse benefits while meeting objectives of sustainable and productive management and biodiversity protection.

Introduction: Why This Book?

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Gilbert E. Metcalf
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Emissions ◽  
Red Tape ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Real Costs

The introduction provides an overview of the argument of the book that climate change has real costs we are paying right now. Greenhouse emissions are changing our climate and our current policies are inadequate to the task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A carbon tax uses the power of the market to reduce emissions without onerous regulations. It uses the power of market forces to reduce emissions without burdening businesses with paperwork and red tape. As such, it should have bipartisan appeal.

The Greenhouse Issue - The Iniquity of a Carbon Tax

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 518-527
Author(s):  
Ken Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Carbon Tax ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Emissions ◽  
Energy Needs

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Brazil in June 1992 reached international consensus on the need to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. The use of energy in all its forms, contributes to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, energy is a fundamental requirement for human existence, and the demand for energy increases with improved lifestyle, urbanisation and population growth. Approximately 90% of the world's energy needs are currently met by the use of fossil fuel. In spite of technological and economic developments with renewable sources of energy, it is unlikely that they will be a major contributor to the world's energy needs for the foreseeable future. In consequence, fossil fuel must and will continue as the major source of the world's energy. Fossil fuel reserves are finite, those of oil and gas are estimated to last for several decades, whilst those of coal will last for centuries. Therefore, when developing strategies for greenhouse gas stabilisation, it is important to consider the relative magnitude of these reserves and the best use to which each form of energy is suited, taking note of environmental, technical and economic requirement and consequences. The misuse of potential transport fuels in stationary applications may result in a short term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but could ultimately result in a significant increase in greenhouse emissions, once oil and gas reserves are depleted. It is equally important to consider all greenhouse gas emissions associated with the energy chain. These include emissions associated with the winning, preparation, storage and transport of coal, which constitute a very small component of the total greenhouse gas emissions from the use of coal. However, in the case of natural gas, although greenhouse gas emissions, associated with the winning, treatment, transmission and distribution or liquefaction, transport, storage and distribution will vary for each situation, nevertheless they constitute a significant component of total greenhouse gas emissions from the use of natural gas. Control strategies aimed at stabilising greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels should encourage more efficient production, treatment, transport and use of energy. They should not include control measures simply aimed at emissions resulting from their use. Control measures, such as a carbon tax or a CO2 tax would distort the energy mix, would impact most on those in the community who are least able to afford the cost and would not take account of total greenhouse emissions associated with energy use. In fact, they could result in a real increase in greenhouse emissions. In addition, it would hasten depletion of scarce resources of energy, ultimately leading to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the production of transport fuels by conversion technologies.

On-farm greenhouse gas emissions and water use: case studies in the Queensland beef industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Eady ◽  
James Viner ◽  
Justin MacDonnell
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
On Farm

In response to climate change, research is being undertaken to understand the on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and water use for agricultural systems and investigate options farmers may have for mitigating or offsetting emissions. In the present study, a life cycle assessment framework is used to determine on-farm GHG emissions and water use, and the overall ‘cradle-to-farm gate’ GHG emissions and water use attributed to beef production. The total on-farm emissions for the two properties were 2984 t CO2-e/year (or 1.93 t CO2-e/livestock unit) for the 634-cow enterprise turning off weaner cattle at Gympie and 5725 t CO2-e/year (or 1.70 t CO2-e/livestock unit) for the 720-cow enterprise turning off finished steers in the Arcadia Valley. The on-farm emissions are largely attributable to enteric methane emissions from the beef herd. The overall ‘cradle-to-farm gate’ GHG emissions associated with enterprise products were 3145 t CO2-e/year at Gympie and 7253 t CO2-e/year in the Arcadia Valley, with the additional emissions coming from off-farm inputs (fuel for farm vehicles and earth-moving equipment, electricity, supplementary feed, agricultural chemicals, farm services) and additionally, for the Arcadia Valley enterprise, from purchased store steers. The carbon footprint of beef products at the farm gate ranged from 17.5 to 22.9 kg CO2-e/kg liveweight at Gympie, where wearers are the primary product, and from 11.6 to 15.5 kg CO2-e/kg liveweight in the Arcadia Valley, where finished steers are the primary product. Green water use ranged from 7400 to 12 700 L/kg liveweight depending on class of livestock, with on-farm blue water use of 51–96 L/kg liveweight and off-farm blue water use of 0.1–59 L/kg liveweight. The ability to offset on-farm GHG emissions through reforestation varied between the two locations, with predicted biosequestration rates of 19.3–34.7 t CO2-e/ha per year at Gympie (rainfall 1200 mm/year) from eucalypt plantation and 1.5–9.8 t CO2-e/ha per year in the Arcadia Valley (rainfall 600 mm/year) through reforestation from a combination of brigalow regrowth, leucaena and environmental eucalypt plantings. The area that would need to be reforested to offset on-farm emissions (over a 30-year time horizon) would be 86–155 ha at Gympie (7–13% of the holding) and 629–4108 ha in the Arcadia Valley (9–60%). If carbon sequestration could be achieved at the higher end of the rates nominated, a significant proportion of on-farm emissions could be offset by sequestration in timber, with minimal impact on beef production. However, at the lower end of the forest sequestration range, the required level of land-use change would reduce the carrying capacity, and hence beef production, especially at the Arcadia Valley site.

Low-Carbon Russia: Prospects after the Crisis

2009 ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Bashmakov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Potential Energy ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Scenario Approach

On the eve of the worldwide negotiations of a new climate agreement in December 2009 in Copenhagen it is important to clearly understand what Russia can do to mitigate energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the medium (until 2020) and in the long term (until 2050). The paper investigates this issue using modeling tools and scenario approach. It concludes that transition to the "Low-Carbon Russia" scenarios must be accomplished in 2020—2030 or sooner, not only to mitigate emissions, but to block potential energy shortages and its costliness which can hinder economic growth.

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