Management strategies to protect the global carbon cycle

• What are management strategies to protect the global carbon cycle?

  Wetland restoration, afforestation, sustainable agricultural practices, international agreements to reduce carbon emissions and Cap & Trade
• Why are wetlands important in the carbon cycle?

  They store a significant amount of terrestrial carbon
• What percentage of the Earth's land surface do wetlands occupy?

  6-9 percent
• What has caused pressure on wetland environments?

  Population growth, economic development, urbanization
• By how much has the wetland area halved in the lower 48 US states since 1600?

  It has halved
• What happens when wetlands are destroyed?

  It transfers stored CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere
• How much of their wetlands did Canada's prairie provinces lose in the twentieth century?

  They lost 70 percent
• What is the average carbon storage capacity of restored wetlands?

  3.25 tonnes C/ha/year
• How many hectares have been targeted for restoration in the Canadian prairies?

  112,000 hectares
• What is the expected carbon sequestration from the targeted restoration in Canada?

  364,000 tonnes C/year
• What management initiatives reflect the need to protect wetlands?

  International Convention on Wetlands and EU Habitats Directive
• How much grade 1 farmland in east Cambridgeshire is being converted back to wetland?

  Up to 400 hectares
• What is the UK government's target for wetland restoration by 2020?

  500 hectares
• What is the focus of wetland restoration efforts?

  Raising local water tables to recreate waterlogged conditions
• How can wetlands on floodplains be restored?

  By reconnecting them to rivers through flood embankment removal
• What is afforestation?

  Planting trees in deforested or non-forested areas
• How does afforestation help combat climate change?

  It reduces atmospheric CO2 levels
• What are the additional benefits of afforestation?

  Reducing flood risks, soil erosion, and increasing biodiversity
• What does the UN's REDD scheme incentivize?

  Conservation of rainforests by placing monetary value
• What area does China's afforestation project aim to cover by 2050?

  400,000 km2
• What was planted in China’s afforestation project from 2000-2009?

  Non-native, fast-growing species like poplar and birch
• What is a consequence of unsustainable agricultural practices?

  Soil erosion and release of carbon to the atmosphere
• How much methane does intensive livestock farming produce annually?

  100 million tonnes
• What are significant sources of methane emissions in agriculture?

  Flooded rice fields and uncontrolled manure decomposition
• Why is international cooperation necessary to address climate change?

  Climate change affects all countries globally
• What was the only significant international agreement to tackle climate change until recently?

  The Kyoto Protocol
• What did the Kyoto Protocol require from rich countries?

  Legally binding reductions in CO2 emissions
• When did the Kyoto Protocol expire?

  2012
• What was the aim of the Paris Agreement?

  Reduce global CO2 emissions below 60% of 2010 levels
• What is a key feature of the targets set by the Paris Agreement?

  Countries set their own voluntary targets
• What is the responsibility of rich countries according to major CO2 emitters?

  To reduce global CO2 emissions
• What is cap and trade?

  An international market-based approach to limit emissions
• How does the cap and trade scheme work?

  Businesses are allocated an annual quota for emissions
• What happens if businesses emit less than their quota in cap and trade?

  They receive carbon credits that can be traded
• What are carbon offsets?

  Credits awarded for schemes like afforestation
• How can carbon offsets be used?

  To compensate for excessive emissions elsewhere