The Carbon-Viral Connection

This amazing planet we live on is equipped with marvelous systems for maintaining itself. We are only beginning the process of understanding how it all works. How can we be so arrogant as to believe that our puny efforts affect "climate change" in any meaningful way?

Viruses are hidden drivers of ocean's nutrient cycle

PARIS (AFP) - Scientists on Wednesday said they had discovered deep-sea viruses to be an unexpectedly potent driver of the so-called carbon cycle that sustains oceanic life and helps dampen global warming.

Under the carbon cycle, microscopic algae at the sea surface suck up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Many of these microscopic creatures, called prokaryotes, become infected by naturally-occurring marine viruses.

When they die, their...(complete article here).

Carbon Sequestration and Wildfire

More evidence that we don't know enough to know what we don't know when it comes to how to combat "global warming."

Wildfires May Improve Forests' Ability to Sequester Carbon

When saving trees means less carbon storage

By Keren Blankfeld Schultz

Wildfires wreaked havoc across southern California last year, resulting in billions of dollars in irreparable damage. Not surprisingly, land managers and agencies this season have mobilized fire crews and equipment to stop the flames before they spread. In the meantime, however, researchers studying the amount of carbon that forests and vegetation harbor have stumbled on a finding that presents an added quandary to fire management: suppressing fires means that less carbon is stored in trees.

The team, led by Michael L. Goulden of the University of California, Irvine, compared the...(complete article here).

Brush, Water, Grass and Carbon Sequestration

The article below is one that opens a lot of issues for me. Juniper, mesquite and other woody brush referred to in the article are invasive species overrunning grassland. One of the reasons the grassland has been overrun is fire suppression practices.

The article discusses the concept that allowing the brush to remain is a method for sequestering carbon in an effort to combat "global warming." The natural order would be to allow fire to periodically remove large portions of the brush and sculpt a mixed prairie grassland with patches of brush interspersed with large open areas of grassland and occasional oak trees. Of course fire would release carbon into the atmosphere. It seems that failure to burn brush in California has created an extreme fire hazard.

I keep getting the feeling that we don't know enough to know what we don't know....

Research Could Change Perception of Woody Species Use of Water in Edwards Plateau

July 30, 2008
Writer(s): Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259,b-fannin@tamu.edu
Contact(s): Dr. Jim Heilman, 979-845-7169, j-heilman@tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION – New research suggests that juniper, mesquite and other woody brush that have overrun grasslands on the Edwards Plateau of west-central Texas aren’t the water hogs that they were thought to be.

Further, bulldozing this brush may not be wise, because it would remove plants that take in lots of carbon from the atmosphere, making them a potential ally in efforts to counter global warming.

These are the findings of Dr. Jim Heilman, a Texas AgriLife Research scientist and professor of environmental physics in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University.

“People have this idea that trees are suction pumps, that if you have all of this landscape and big trees, much more water is used,” he said. “Not true. What drives water use is...(complete article here).

A Booming Green Economy?

The push for a "green" economy is fueling a boom in many areas. Who says green has to kill profits and raise prices?

Breaking Down the Barriers to a Green Economy

UNEP Launches Year Book 2008 at its 10th Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Monaco

20-22 February

Monaco, 20 February 2008-An emerging Green Economy is glimpsed in the latest United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Year Book as growing numbers of companies embrace environmental policies and investors pump hundreds of billions of dollars into cleaner and renewable energies.

Climate change, as documented in the Year Book, is...(complete article here).

Carbon Accounting in Ethanol Studies

Below is another interesting article from Iowa State. This one discusses how carbon is accounted for by researchers when studying the impact of something like corn-based ethanol production.

Is Corn Ethanol a Low-Carbon Fuel?

Bruce A. Babcock babcock@iastate.edu 515-294-6785
Ofir Rubin rubino@iastate.edu 515-294-5452
Hongli Feng hfeng@iastate.edu 515-294-6307

Reports of disappearing glaciers, shrinking arctic ice, rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and unprecedented European heat waves combined with an inexorable buildup in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is increasing pressure on governments to respond with new greenhouse gas initiatives. California and other states are providing policy leadership in the United States.

Of particular interest to the biofuels industry is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s January 2007 executive order that requires a 10 percent reduction in the carbon content of California’s transportation fuels by 2020. In contrast to federal renewable fuel standards, which mandate levels of use of biofuels, California’s fuel standard does not tell fuel suppliers (oil companies) how they should meet the new requirements. Alternative fuels will have to compete in terms of cost and carbon content. Only those fuels that can reduce carbon content at reasonable cost will be included in California fuel blends. Given that ethanol from corn comprises more than 90 percent of U.S. alternative fuels, a key determinant of the feasibility of meeting California’s ambitious goals is the extent to which corn ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Accounting for Corn Ethanol’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Whether corn ethanol reduces net greenhouse gas emissions...(complete article here).

Sunshine Power Turns CO2 to Fuel

Reverse the process and let the sun provide the power. Now that's cool.

Sandia’s Sunshine to Petrol project seeks fuel from thin air

Team to chemically transform carbon dioxide into carbon-neutral liquid fuels

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —Using concentrated solar energy to reverse combustion, a research team from Sandia National Laboratories is building a prototype device intended to chemically “reenergize” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using concentrated solar power. The carbon monoxide could then be used to make hydrogen or serve as a building block to synthesize a liquid combustible fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The prototype device, called the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5, for short), will...(complete article here).

Are We Really Losing Forests?

This is a good example of the difficulties in assessing global issues accurately. There is little or no standardization of sampling techniques between various entities that have collected data such as deforestation. Probably the most accurate assessment will be from satellite-based imaging systems.

Do urban plantings count as offsets to deforestation of natural woodlands? If the goal in such studies is ultimately to estimate carbon sequestration -- or release -- is there any accurate way to measure all of the factors? I planted around 80 windbreak trees in the last couple of years. I know that it is less than a drop-in-the-bucket, but how many others around the world did the same? Are such things measured? What is the impact of low-tillage farming techniques? More plant residue is left in the ground under such techniques thus locking away the carbon and releasing less by minimal disturbance of the soil. How do you measure that impact?

'No clear trend' in forest loss

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Data on tropical forest cover is so poor that we do not know if the forests are declining, a study has found.

Alan Grainger from the UK's University of Leeds examined UN analyses going back almost 30 years, and found that "evidence for a decline is unclear".

Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), he proposes a global forest monitoring system.

The UN admits there are problems with the data, but...(complete article here).

Environmental Farm Subsidies

The U.S. farm bill contains provisions aimed at protecting the environment.

Paying farmers to protect the environment?

FAO publishes The State of Food and Agriculture 2007

15 November 2007, Rome - Carefully targeted payments to farmers could serve as an approach to protect the environment and to address growing concerns about climate change, biodiversity loss and water supply, FAO said today in its annual publication The State of Food and Agriculture.

The report however cautions that payments for environmental services are not the best solution in all situations, and that significant implementation challenges remain.

“Agriculture employs more people and uses more land and water than any other human activity,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf in...(complete article here).

Crafting subsidies that balance the competing demands on agriculture is difficult. Food security, fuels, and the environment compete with each other for resources. Subsidy structures must balance the needs of each of these segments.

In the article it mentions the carbon sequestration role of agriculture. I wonder how large of a negative impact our push toward cellulosic based bio-fuels will have on this role? If we take corn stover and other plant biomass that would have been plowed back into the soil and instead convert it to fuel that will be burned, how much carbon is that removing from the soil?

CO2 Sequestration Regulations

Needed regulation.

EPA To Develop Regulations for Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide

Release date: 10/11/2007

Contact Information: Enesta Jones, (202) 564-4355 / jones.enesta@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. - Oct. 11, 2007) Today EPA announced plans to develop regulations to establish a clear path for geologic sequestration, a process of injecting captured carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in deep rock formations for long-term storage. Once completed, the regulations will ensure there is a consistent and effective permit system under the Safe Drinking Water Act for commercial-scale geologic sequestration programs to help reduce the effects of climate change.

"Addressing global climate change will require fundamental changes in the way the world generates and uses energy," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By harnessing the power of geologic sequestration technology, we are entering a new age of clean energy – where we can be both good stewards of the Earth, and good stewards of the American economy.

"EPA is working with the Department of Energy as it carries out its carbon sequestration research and development program and is also coordinating efforts to evaluate potential impacts on health, safety and the environment.

The Safe Drinking Water Act established the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to allow the safe injection of fluids into the subsurface in a manner that does not endanger current or future underground sources of drinking water.

EPA plans to propose regulatory changes to the UIC program in the summer of 2008 and will invite the public and stakeholders to provide input throughout the rule development process.

More information about geologic sequestration activities under the UIC program: epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_sequestration.html