[SustainableTompkins] GLOBAL WARMING INCENTIVES

[Jenifer Wightman]

Dear folks,

i disagree with some of the numbers reported below.  A couple of years
back with John Duxbury and others, we did an analysis of the greenhouse
gas emissions from agriculture in NYS.  While NYS alone contributes 1% of
the global total greenhouse gas emissions, it turns out that agriculture
contributes only~3% of the states emissions. Most of our emissions come
from the use of fossil fuel for transport, heating and electricity
(roughly 30% each).  while there are opportunities to mitigate emissions
from within agriculture, one route for ag would be to begin growing
renewable, carbon neutral biomass fuels with the highest output:input
ratios we can find.  as for the rest of us, the average gas mileage today
is the same as the model T.

as for the farm community, well, locally, Central New York Resource
Conservation and Development (a non profit with support from USDA/NRCS and
from Environmental Defense) is working with representatives of 12 local
counties to try to help farms and landowners trade carbon credits for
reducing their own emissions.  in fact we just held a workshop on Oct 5
that was free and open to the public on c-trading.  soon those
presentations will be posted to the CNYRCD website.   And under the
regional greenhouse gas initiative (www.rggi.org) in the Northeast
effective in 2009, farms and landowners can get paid for reducing their
emissions to help offset greenhouse gas emissions from our electricty use.

and as far as why farms may be interested in mitigating emissions.  please
do not suggest that farms are not concerned about a changing climate. 
some may not have the information, but in my opinion we should all be
proactive in getting the word out about how a changing climate is going to
affect *our* food system.   check out this website:
www.climateandfarming.org.

it is my strong opinion that peak oil and climate change is going to
deliver a potent 1-2 punch to our way of living.  each of us, no matter
how we look at it, through our material based lives is intimately
connected to the source of the pollution.  we depend on each other and
each others services which are directly connected to our resource base. 
please let us work together.

cheers to the momentum of our collective, diverse ways to be proactive on
this very humbling issue.  i'm not saying every decision is a winner, i am
saying that in trying out different methods, we may come to the best
solution and diversity of approach will be our saving grace.
j


>
> The production of meat significantly increases global warming due to the
millions of tons of carbon dioxide and methane released by it annually.
The two gases together account for over 90% of U.S.
> greenhouse gas emissions, with 21% of carbon dioxide emissions and 16%
of methane emissions come from farmed animal production,
> according to recent reports. Rainforests are also being cut down to
pasture cows and grow soybeans for feed. University of Chicago
> geophysicists Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin have concluded that
> becoming a vegetarian does more to fight global warming than
> switching from driving an SUV to a fuel-efficient hybrid car. A
> webpage about the connection between meat production and rainforest
destruction, citing Greenpeace reports, has been posted on a PETA site:
http://goveg.com/environment-wastedResources-rainforest.asp
>
>
> On Nov 4, 2006, at 10:09 PM, Ed Harwood wrote:
>
>> HI
>> I am including an article below.  My beef with it is not the idea of
preparedness, but that it sounds more like the farm community is not
going to stand up to global warming as a bad thing and a
>> participant in a possible solution including getting the U.S. on board
with the problem and its global need for a solution.  As
>> noted in the article, farmers are often net contributors as well. The
farm bill may come in the next year or two and a move to make sense
here would be timely.
>> An idea: Why can't the polluters pay agriculture and forest owners for
the net loss in pounds of CO2 from growing crops and thereby assist our
rural areas while placing economic pressure on the
>> polluters?  Those in ag without a net loss will also see the need to
make changes.  I am not sure crops for fuels will qualify... are they a
net loss or does it end up being a contributor?
>> See ya
>> Ed Harwood
>> Managing Partner, GreatVeggies®, LLC
>> 1114 Hanshaw Rd.
>> Ithaca, NY 14850-2744
>> (607) 279-3383
>> Farmers, agriculture experts embracing new methods, technologies to
deal with global warming
>> By Associated Press
>> Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - Updated: 06:11 AM EST
>> DES MOINES, Iowa - Gary Larsen, who grows corn and soybeans in
>> western Iowa, is among a growing number of farmers who are
>> concerned about the potential effects of global warming.
>>      Like Larsen, many in the agriculture industry are developing
>> or adopting new technologies and farming methods to brace for the
possibility of widespread drought and crop-pounding storms.
>>      The industry has been especially aggressive in breeding and
>> developing crops that more efficiently use soil moisture and
>> nutrients and developing pest-resistant and drought-tolerant crops.
>>      “We don’t know how the world could actually turn out, but
>> doing absolutely nothing and sticking your head in the sand is not an
option,” said Larsen, a 63-year-old grandfather who lives near Elk
Horn.
>>      In the past century, the Earth’s surface temperature has risen
>> by about 1 degree Fahrenheit and could climb another 5 to 10
>> degrees over the next century, according to government officials. The
Environmental Protection Agency has blamed human activities for most of
the warming over the last 50 years, including the buildup of greenhouse
gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.
>>      “It’s dire in the sense that this problem is already with us,
>> and it’s hard to see how it can go away,” said Kevin E. Trenberth, head
of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in
Boulder, Colo.
>>      Crops that more efficiently use soil moisture and nutrients
>> can ward off disease and pests that stress plants trying to cope with
increased temperatures, experts say.
>>      William Niebur, vice president of DuPont Crop Genetics
>> Research and Development, said the evidence of climate change
>> includes the migration of successful corn production north 100
>> miles over the past three decades.
>>      Niebur’s company is developing pest-resistant and drought-
>> tolerant crops. “It’s really a holistic approach, understanding that
the ecosystem is changing,” he said.
>>      Emerging technology has already been aiding crop production,
>> said Jon Doggett, vice president of public policy for the National Corn
Growers Association. “You are seeing good corn yields under conditions
that would have probably been a crop disaster 20 years ago,” he said.
>>      Improved soil management methods are reducing greenhouse
>> gases. No-till farming, for example, where farmers plant crops
>> without using machines to plow or turn over the soil, cuts down on
energy use and keeps carbon in the ground instead of releasing it into
the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
>>      Farmers also are planting crops that require less fertilizer
>> and herbicides; using alternative fuels such as ethanol and
>> biodiesel; capturing methane gas from livestock for energy
>> production; and harnessing wind power.
>>      Many are beginning to sort out water supply problems as warm,
>> dry areas expand. This includes examining water rights before
>> shortages happen and studying dwindling mountain snowpacks that supply
farmers with water during spring melting. Faced with fiercer storms
that cause rain to hit the ground and run off rather than be absorbed,
researchers are exploring ways to capture the precipitation.
>>      Francis Thicke, an organic dairy farmer and soil fertility
>> expert from Fairfield in southeast Iowa, said he provides his 130
animals with grassy areas to forage for food. He said that cuts down on
fuel needs because he’s not growing as much grain for feed and allows
carbon to remain in the soil because there’s no need for tilling.
>>      Thicke said he believes politicians should end subsidies to
>> farmers who grow crops such as corn and soybeans in a way that robs the
soil of nutrients and requires lots of energy.
>>      “Our whole farming system really contributes a lot to global
>> warming and it could be made to be much more sustainable,” he said. ©
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
>> material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>
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