CRC for Greenhouse Accounting news

The CRC for Greenhouse Accounting has recently been involved in two international conferences which have given added impetus to moves toward further multi-national collaborations in greenhouse accounting research.

The second joint Australia and New Zealand Forum on Non-CO2 greenhouse emissions from agriculture in Melbourne from October 20 to 22 was sponsored by the Australian Greenhouse Office and organised by the leader of the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting’s non-CO2 program, Dr Richard Eckard with Dr Harry Clark from AgResearch New Zealand and Dr Tim Clough of New Zealand’s Lincoln University.

About 75 delegates attended the workshop, about one-third of whom were from New Zealand. Guests included Dr Søren Petersen from the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Denmark, representing the European Union MIDAIR and GREENGRASS programs, and Dr César Izaurralde from the US-based Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS). Dr Izaurralde’s participation in the workshop continues a series of collaborations between the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting and CASMGS, whose Director, Professor Charles Rice, took part in the CRC’s Annual Science Meeting in May 2003.

Just a week before the Non-CO2 workshop in Melbourne, the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting’s Dr Jeff Baldock was in the US, making a presentation on Australian approaches to carbon monitoring to a Carbon Measurement and Monitoring Forum organised by CASMGS. Presentations on New Zealand, Canadian and US approaches to carbon monitoring were also given at the forum.

The Non-CO2 workshop brought consensus that such joint conferences should continue, and both forums expressed the desire for multilateral collaboration between Australian, New Zealand, US and Canadian researchers on greenhouse issues.

Details of the CASMGS forum, including copies of Dr Baldock’s and other presentations, are available at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/ctec/Fall_Forum.htm. Anyone seeking further information on the CASMGS forum could contact Dr Baldock at

NZ abandons livestock tax – see the world news in this edition of eCarbon News

A productive three years

“Briefly, in the past three years I have authored/co-authored seven scientific papers from my CRC-related activities and given five presentations in CRC workshops. I also gave several talks in Brisbane on the greenhouse issue.” So Weijin Wang, sums up his just-completed three years as a post-doctoral fellow with the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting.

The quick summary misses much more than it includes. In describing his activities over the past three years in a farewell note to CRC for Greenhouse Accounting Chief Executive Dr Chris Mitchell, Dr Wang provided insights into some of the range of activities and achievements of CRC scientists.

“When I joined CRC in May 2000, my primary duty was to monitor seasonal variations in soil microbial biomass under different farming practices. At that time the routine method used in the Natural Resources and Mines laboratory was the microwave irradiation technique that was published in Soil Science Society of America Journal in 1998,” Dr Wang said.

“By carefully reading the original paper, I found that some important aspects associated with the use of this technique were not examined. I strongly believed that we should use a reliable technique for our CRC research from the beginning. In consultation with Ram (Dr Ram Dalal) and colleagues, I designed a series of laboratory experiments to test this technique and compared it with three conventional techniques using 30 Australian soils. The results of this study have been published in Soil Science Society of America Journal.

“I then designed an incubation experiment to study the roles of microbial biomass and substrate supply as well as their interaction with clay content in regulating CO2 emission rate from soil. We found that in spite of the important role of micro-organisms in organic matter decomposition, the rate of soil respiration is generally controlled by the substrate availability rather than by microbial biomass. The results of this study have been published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry.”

He expanded the study to include more non-biomass carbon pools. “The objectives were to quantify carbon sequestration and distribution in various organic matter pools under different farming practices. I have prepared two manuscripts from this study, and have got enough data for another one if time allows.”

He described also a laboratory incubation he designed and conducted to study decomposition dynamics of plant materials in relation to nitrogen availability and biochemistry (manuscript drafted), the collection of soils from a forest and a pasture to compare changes in soil organic carbon pools under different land uses, calculation and testing a gas chromatography to be used to measure carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, and a project to identify the relative contribution of different vegetations to organic carbon pools.

“I also co-authored a literature review with Ram and others on nitrous oxide emission from Australian agricultural lands,” he wrote. “This paper has been published in Australian Journal of Soil Research. We also submitted paper titled Soil organic matter decline and management to Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems.”
Post-doctoral fellows work with senior researchers in a range of CRC for Greenhouse Accounting projects across Australia.

Forest study

Teams from the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting have this month sampled the root systems, stems and canopies of 20 year-old pines and an adjacent pasture in the Kowen Forest near Canberra. The sampling was undertaken at the site of a long-term study of root growth and turnover, litter fall and litter decomposition in both the pine plantation and adjacent pasture.

The study of the two contrasting systems, is looking at how carbon, taken up from the atmosphere by the plants, moves into the soil to be stored as soil organic matter. Such information is required to understand how carbon stored in soils may change as forests are re-established on pasture.
Photos (Click Here)

Australian News

Kyoto – threat or opportunity?

Australia has the potential to be a significant net exporter of emission credits during the first Kyoto commitment period, 2008—2012. But the task of restraining emissions after 2012 is likely to be considerably more difficult. These are among the conclusions from an analysis in AETF Review of Australia’s latest greenhouse gas inventory and its implications under alternative policy settings.

Details: http://www.aetf.net.au/ContentStore/pdf/ReviewOctNov2003.pdf

NSW rejects power station

(Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October 2003)

The NSW Government has rejected a proposed power station in the Hunter Valley because of the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions it would generate.

Details: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/14/1065917400206.html

Call for more renewable energy

(Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 2003)

Proclaiming that renewable energy is a supplement to coal rather than a threat to it, the head of Pacific Hydro urges an increase in renewable energy targets.

Details: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/12/1065917276309.html

China – Australia collaboration

Minister for the Environment and Heritage Dr David Kemp and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Alexander Downer welcomed the progress on collaboration between China and Australia on climate change.

Media release: http://www.deh.gov.au/minister/env/2003/mr24oct203.html

World News

Kyoto and emissions

NZ abandons livestock tax

(CNS News through Point Carbon, 22 October 2003)

The New Zealand government has abandoned its plan to tax farmers for greenhouse gas emissions from livestock's digestive processes to fund research into ways of reducing methane emissions from livestock.

Details: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=%5CForeignBureaus%5Carchive%5C200310%5CFOR20031022a.html

EU Ministers fail to agree on CoP9

(Point Carbon, 28 October 2003)

European environment ministers on 27 October failed to agree on the EU’s position for the 9th Conference of the Parties (CoP 9), to be held in Milan over the first two weeks of December.

Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2597

IPCC expert meeting report

A scientific meeting of experts in the terrestrial carbon cycle, brought together by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has concluded that the scientific community cannot yet provide a practicable methodology to factor out direct human-induced effects from indirect human-induced and natural effects from any broad range of land use, land use change and forestry activities.

This, together with the Good Practice Guidance due to be considered at CoP9, is a major focus of CRC for Greenhouse Accounting activity. Expect to read more about this issue in future editions of eCarbon News.

Report: http://www.ipcc.ch/meet/session21/inf1.pdf

US states take lead

(New York Times through Daily Grist, 30 October 2003)

Motivated by environmental and economic concerns, states have become the driving force in US efforts to combat global warming even as mandatory programs on the federal level have largely stalled.

Details: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/national/29CLIM.html

US expresses doubts

(AP through UN Wire, 9 October 2003)

A senior US official doubts nations that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol can meet their targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-09/s_9267.asp

States sue US

(New Haven Register through Daily Grist, 24 October 2003)

Alleging the US Environmental Protection Authority is ignoring studies demonstrating that climate change is causing disease, extreme weather, destruction of shoreline and loss of critical wetlands and estuaries, 12 states have filed suit to try to force the US government to act against climate change.

Details: http://www.newhavenregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10403189&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=31007&rfi=6

See also: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-24/s_9749.asp

and

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2003-10-27-globalwarming-usat_x.htm

Philippines Senate ratifies

(Point Carbon, 23 October 2003)

The Philippines Senate has ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

Details: http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=9341

Russia? ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Confidentially, yes, maybe’

- reactions from around the world

(Various, including Canadian Press, 20 October 2003; Reuters, 17 October 2003; Moscow Times, 1 October 2003; Environmental News Network; & Point Carbon)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reported to have told Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in a one-on-one meeting that he does plan to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Details: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1066649789506_131///?hub=SciTech

See also: http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=841fd2ad-4944-42fd-9e37-7116584434e2

and http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1066649789506_131///?hub=SciTech

Environmentalists alarmed: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20030930/449_8946.asp

Russia ‘hopes to ratify late next year’: http://framehosting.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003102800400002&Take=1

and

http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=3555074&startrow=1&date=2003-10-27&do_alert=0

The head of the UN climate panel says it is wrong to assume global warming could help Russia and warns Russia would suffer politically if it killed the pact: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16235502.htm

The Russian President’s economic adviser argues the case against the Kyoto Protocol: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/10/01/011.html

Kyoto’s noble cause - Margot Wallstrom, European Commissioner for the Environment, responds to Russia’s presentation at the World Climate Change Conference: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/10/09/006.html

A US - Russian partnership against global-warming ‘zealots’ opens the way for a new alignment of nations, according to a Chicago Sun-Times columnist: http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak16.html

Any Russian veto of the Kyoto pact would jeopardise international environmental cooperation in other fields, according to the head of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-01/s_8978.asp

Russia ‘needs’ the Kyoto Treaty: http://www.iht.com/articles/115242.html

EU companies are continuing to invest in projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Russia despite the Russia’s hesitation over whether to ratify the Kyoto Protocol: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2481

Emissions surge

(New York Times through Daily Grist, 22 October; UN Wire, 24 October 2003)

China's rapid economic growth is producing a surge in emissions of greenhouse gases.

Details: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/science/22WARM.html

See also: http://www.iht.com/articles/114732.html and http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20031023/449_9725.asp

and http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/7071068.htm

Power group to work with farmers

(CO2e.com, 22 October 2003)

US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association to identify and advance cost-effective ways for rural electric cooperatives to work with farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Details: http://www.co2e.com/News/story.asp?StoryID=1321

Energy

Investment encouraged

(UN Wire, 21 October 2003)

The UN Environment Programhas launchedthe Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative toencourage the financial sector to invest in renewable energy.

Details: UN Wire report - http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20031021/449_9592.asp

Press Release - http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8609&Cr=energy&Cr1

Canadians invest in fuel cells

(Fuel Cell Today through Point Carbon, 9 October 2003)

The Canadian government has announced a $C215 million investment to capitalise on the use of hydrogen and fuel cells.

Details: http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/IndustryInformation/IndustryInformationExternal/NewsDisplayArticle/0,1602,3498,00.html

Industry affected

(Dow Jones, 20 October 2003)

The International Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers Rising says green energy costs are driving industry out of the EU region and will continue to do so unless charges to consumers are capped.

Details: http://framehosting.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003102016060000&Take=1

Climate and climate change

Record melt for polar icecap

(UN Wire through Agence France-Presse, Sydney Morning Herald, Baltimore Sun, 24 October 2003)

The north polar ice cap is melting at an alarming rate because of global warming,reaching record lows this year and last, according to NASAresearchers.

Details: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20031024/449_9764.asp

and http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/24/1066631611744.html

See also: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-ice24oct24,1,6679252.story

Straight to the source: NASA report at http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/1023esuice.html#addlinfo

‘Warming of arctic may affect worldwide climate’: http://www.spacedaily.com/news/arctic-03f.html

Melting glaciers contribute to sea-level rise

(Various through Grist Magazine, 18 October 2003 & Environmental News Network 17 October 2003)

Glaciers in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina and Chile are melting twice as quickly as they were in 1975, and causing a small but notable rise in sea level, US scientists report in Science.

Details: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3200450.stm

and

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1064835,00.html

See also: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-17/s_9529.asp

Now you see them, now you don’t – Grist Magazine feature on the shrinking glaciers of South America: http://www.gristmagazine.com/maindish/wehner042202.asp?source=daily

Deaths attributed to global warming

(Reuters, 30 September 2003)

About 160,000 people die every year from side-effects of global warming ranging from malaria to malnutrition and the numbers could almost double by 2020, according to scientists from World Health Organisation and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Details: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30616897.htm

See also: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-01/s_8976.asp

‘Toll of global warming clearer in South Africa’

(Miami Herald via UNFCCC, 23 October 2003)

Since the 1970s, the average temperature in South Africa's succulent Karoo Desert, one of 25 world hot spots for plant diversity, has risen by 1.5 degrees. Droughts, a regular occurrence, have become longer and more frequent. Slowly the plants, adapted over thousands of years to bleak conditions, have begun dying.

Details: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7083476.htm

Carbon sequestration

Ozone threatens sinks targets

(Toronto Star through Point Carbon, 26 October 2003)

A new study suggests ozone interferes with growth of poplars, reportedly putting in doubt Canadian plans to use forests and farms as carbon sinks to achieve one-sixth of its targeted greenhouse gas reductions by 2008.

Details: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1066947009173

Trading

Principles for Canadian market

(Point Carbon, 23 October 2003)

The International Emissions Trading Association's Canadian Working Group on the Carbon Market and the Canadian government have agreed principles for the design and functioning of a market for greenhouse gas emission compliance instruments.

Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2572

See also: http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20031024/RBRIEFS24-5//?query=kyoto

London market discussed

(Reuters, through Point Carbon, 24 October 2003)

Ten major investment banks met British Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss establishment of an emissions trading market for the City of London.

Details: http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/newswire/2003/10/24/rtr1122232.html

EU delays anticipated

(Dow Jones, 20 October 2003)

Citing difficulties in harmonising national allocation plans, Deutsche Bank reports that it does not expect EU countries to meet the January 2005 target for trading greenhouse gas emission certificates.

Details: http://framehosting.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003102016270001&Take=1

Japan buys emissions rights

(Dow Jones through Point Carbon, 14 October 2003)

Japan's Electric Power Development Co plans to buy carbon dioxide emissions rights totalling about 1 million tonnes through 2012 from four industrial projects in three Latin American countries.

Details: http://framehosting.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003101217370000&Take=1

Chicago exchange start

(Point Carbon, 21 October 2003)

The Chicago Climate Exchange is expected to begin daily electronic trading on 31 October.

Details: http://www.environmental-finance.com/onlinews/17octccx.htm

In its sealed bid auction in early October the 20 successful bidders paid an average of 98 cents per tonne of carbon dioxide: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20031003/449_9064.asp and http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20030930005470&newsLang=en

European fund

(Point Carbon, 27 October 2003)

The Netherlands and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have launched a new Carbon Fund to invest in carbon dioxide reduction measures in central and eastern Europe.

Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2591

Plan to offset all emissions

(CO2e.com through Point Carbon, 8 October 2003)

Office equipment manufacturer Ricoh Co plans to expand its acquisition of emissions rights through the use of the Clean Development Mechanism and to entirely offset its carbon dioxide emissions by 2010.

Details: http://www.co2e.com/News/story.asp?StoryID=1297

CDM Projects

(Point Carbon, 23 October 2003)

The first Clean Development Mechanism projects are expected to be registered at the first meeting of the CDM Executive Board in 2004.

Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2571

The CDM Executive Board on 17 October approved four baseline and monitoring methodologies for CDM projects: http://www.netinform.de/ke/startE.asp?Ziel=http://www.netinform.de/KE/aktuell_listing_detailE.aspx?ID=%20402

Aggregation of farm credits

(Point Carbon, 22 October 2003)

A four-year pilot program to aggregate and trade carbon credits from Iowa fields has been announced by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

Details: http://www.ifbf.org/publication/spokesman/story.asp?number=21813&type=News

Finland – Estonia contract

(Point Carbon, 14 October 2003)

Finland and Estonia have signed a Joint Implementation project where Finland will buy a total of 100,000 tCO2e in the period 2003-2012.

Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2540

Conferences:

Bioenergy

Bioenergy Australia 2003 will be held in Sydney, Australia, from 8 to 9 December 2003 with a conference tour on 10 December 2003. The program will have over 40 sessions, covering policies and programs, prospects for bioenergy, case studies and will include sessions on short rotation crops for bioenergy, wastes and residues as a source of fuels for bioenergy, new developments in bioenergy and sustainability.

Details: http://www.conferenceaction.com.au/current/Bioenergy.pdf

Soils partnership

Can Agriculture and Energy Partner Using Soil Carbon Sequestration to Offset Greenhouse Gases? A forum by the US-based Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases, to be held in College Station, Texas, from 20 to 22 January 2004.

Details: http://agecon.tamu.edu/faculty/mccarl/acs/casmgs_conf_send.htm

Earth Technologies Forum

The 15th annual Earth Technologies Forum, addressing global climate change and ozone protection policy and technology issues, will be held in Washington DC from 13 to 15 April 2004.

Details: http://www.earthforum.com

Emissions and abrupt climate change

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis is organising a conference to be held in June 2004, probably in Paris, to ‘explore what can be done this decade in order to be prepared to respond quickly to possible future precursor symptoms of abrupt climate change’.

Details: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/~oberstei/ff/index.html?sb=1

More conferences

For information on more conferences and workshops or to promote your event see the Global Change Events Calendar at http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/gcec/