[Michaelangelica]

Brother, can you spare a carbon credit?
Thinkers weigh a radical new way to reduce greenhouse gas: Give everyone an individual carbon allowance, and let the dealing begin.
Email|Print| Text size – + By Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow
February 24, 2008

GLOBAL WARMING IS a planet-sized problem, so policy solutions tend to aim for the grandest possible scale. The signatories of the Kyoto Protocol have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions at a national level, while laws in various countries and states seek to reform entire industries.

Brother, can you spare a carbon credit? - The Boston Globe

[erich]

Newyorker Article on our carbon Big Foot

See an interview with Richard Sandor, Chairman and CEO of CCX in « Big Foot » by Michael Spector, New Yorker, February 25, 2008

A Reporter at Large: Big Foot: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

This 9 page article really clears the air on the issues and difficulties of assessing the carbon loads of products and practices.

Of course I sent the author my TP post, characterizing Biochar as the "Cinderella Slipper" which fit our "Big Foot'' to a tee.

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by erich

This 9 page article really clears the air on the issues and difficulties of assessing the carbon loads of products and practices.

Hi Erich,

But if the Carbon Credit trading system is run anything like our current 'free' market, especially global finance, we'll be choking to death while the politicians all pat each on the back for creating such 'beautiful figures'.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by LaurieAG

Hi Erich,

But if the Carbon Credit trading system is run anything like our current 'free' market, especially global finance, we'll be choking to death while the politicians all pat each on the back for creating such 'beautiful figures'.

Very interesting article Eric
(Some good cartoons too)
So the Feds lending the state a low/no interest loan saved interest?
For who?
Your Feds are already up to their neck in debt at present so that option looks buggered.
It may work in Oz though with the Feds awash with money but unable to spend it because of inflationary pressures.

No one I spoke to for this story believes that climate change can be successfully addressed solely by creating a market. Most agreed that many approaches—legal, technological, and financial—will be necessary to lower our carbon emissions by at least sixty per cent over the next fifty years. “We will have to do it all and more,”

The telling figure is that if we stopped GHG emisons tomorrow Earth Temps would still go up for another 100 years.
So we need not just to account for present emissions we need to do more. The sequestration freight train needs to go in reverse-so we are putting away many more GHGs than we presently make.

The atricle does give a lot of promising signs of change and the are many positive things starting to happen.

I read the other day about gardening being a "subversive activity" as it shortcut the whole commercial, transport etc process. In my case I keep the possums well supplied with fruit eg figs (30 at $1.89 each!) tomatoes etc. Unfortunately much of my backyard is not sunny.
But I note the first "community garden" just opened up locally. The first I have heard of in this state.
It is unfortunate that gardening is not taught in most schools.
Most suburban primary schools have plenty of land appropriate for gardens

There are problems with carbon trading. Fist among them I think is that people will think it is OK to carry on as usual as their emissions are "neutralised"

"Fly by night" tree planting schemes in general are a worry and the 'Lights OFF in Cities' for an hour is a cruel joke. You just wonder what the power plants do with all that electricity they have to keep generating for the hour ( Most big generators take 4 or more hours to step either up or down). It must wreak havoc with their systems; yet they say nothing. I wonder why?

[Michaelangelica]

This week, Merrill Lynch (MER, Fortune 500) announced that it will invest $9 million to help save a tropical forest in Aceh, Indonesia. It's the first time a Wall Street firm has invested in carbon farming, and let's be clear: this isn't philanthropy of public relations; it's strictly business.

In fact, the man who put the deal together to save the 1.9-million acre forest, called Ulu Masen, believes it could be a very big business. "It will be the biggest carbon project in the history of the world if we can pull it off," says Dorjee Sun, the 31-year-old founder of an Australian startup company called Carbon
. . .
Speaking by phone from Jakarta, Dorjee Sun says he has pitched large-scale avoided deforestation projects to more than 200 banks, hedge funds, pension funds and conservation groups. He's working with governors in Indonesia and Brazil, and came to the U.S. last fall where he pitch deforestation projects to Howard Schultz of Starbucks and investor George Soros.

Sun, a former Internet entrepreneur, is frank about his motives. "The more hectares we manage, the more land we 'farm' carbon on, the more money we make," he says. "Our goal is to be the amazon.com of the Amazon." To top of pageConservation.

Merrill Lynch's foray into carbon farming. - Apr. 18, 2008

[alexander]

I think i wrote my thoughts about carbon credits very recently....

right, here it is:

http://hypography.com/forums/environ...tml#post215586

Personally i think they are while with good intention, another form of currency that deceives the end user...

[InfiniteNow]

Lately, I've been leaning more toward the idea of a carbon tax, as opposed to a carbon credit.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, one way or the other?

Any information which indicates that one would have greater utility over the other?

Anyone discount the idea completely simply because they live their lives "against taxes?"


Bueller... Bueller... Bueller...

[alexander]

I hate taxes, but carbon tax would not be a bad thing all together... on a corporate level...

[Michaelangelica]

This is an interesting article about a fledgling Australian Carbon Credits scheme.
Austraian soils typically hold less than 3% humus (SOM?). I don't think frequent wetting and more frequent drying out helps.
Nor does tilling.
Nor do very frequent bushfires help the soil keep humus and therefore water holding capacity of the soil.

Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme (ASCAS)
This is the html version of the file http://www.amazingcarbon.com/What%20...%20Credits.pdf.
G o o g l e automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.
To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme (ASCAS)

Google is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content.
Page 1
‘Managing the Carbon Cycle’ Katanning Workshop 21-22 March 2007
Welcome to Amazing Carbon!
37
Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme (ASCAS)
Dr Christine Jones
Founder, Carbon For Life Inc.
Welcome to Amazing Carbon!
Abstract
Australia has the highest per capita rate of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Appropriately managed farmlands could effectively ‘mop up’ most of the excess carbon being emitted to the atmosphere, converting a potential hazard into an extremely productive opportunity.
Under the Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme (ASCAS), carbon sequestration rates will be measured within Defined Sequestration Areas (DSAs) located on regeneratively managed broadacre cropping and grazing lands.
Soil Credits will be paid annually and retrospectively for validated soil
carbon increases above initial baseline levels determined within each DSA.
Receipt of Soil Credits will be similar to being paid ‘on delivery’ for livestock or grain, with the bonus being that sequestered carbon remains in soil, conferring ongoing production and NRM benefits. Soil Credits will be calculated at one-hundredth the 100-year rate ($25/tonne carbon dioxide equivalent).
The ASCAS model is based on financial reward from the private sector, creating a collaborative and progressive market based instrument to help address a wide range of environmental issues.
Increased levels of biological activity in soil have multiple landscape health and productivity advantages.
The Australian Soil Carbon Accreditation Scheme is a first in the Southern Hemisphere, placing
Australia among the world leaders in the recognition of soils as a verifiable carbon sink.
……………………………………………………………….
etc


Reference
McKenzie N, Ryan P, Fogarty P, Wood J (2000). Sampling, measurement and analytical protocols for
carbon estimation in soil, litter and coarse woody debris. National Carbon Accounting System,
Technical Report No. 14. Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra

5.2 Water-Holding Capacity Increase for One Hectare for Varying Levels of Humus Increase


Using the guideline ratio, which has been established for additional water retention the following gains can be expected.

Humus Increase Increased Volume of Water Retained /ha (30 cm)

(OC% x 4,000,000kg x 4)

0.5% 80,000 litres ( average 2004 level)

1 % 160,000 litres

2 % 320,000 litres

3 % 480,000 litres

4 % 640,000 litres

5 % 800,000 litres (pre-settlement level)

The Clarence Valley catchment has an area of 2,300,000 ha², a 0.5% increase in humus (organic carbon) would therefore store an additional 184,000,000,000 litres of water following an adequate rainfall event.

.SUSTAINING NATIONAL WATER SUPPLIES BY UNDERSTANDING THE

[HydrogenBond]

Carbon credits may not be the best way to go if the goal is to maximize the health of the environment. An analogy is the government deciding to address national obesity by proposing exercise and diet ,while also offering fat credits. If I don't wish to exercise or diet I can buy fat credits and not have to change my life style. Logically, the goal is to get everyone healthy, which is done better if everyone participates. But if we could buy fat credits, with the national goal calculated at 100 Million tons of fat, this may require some people need to get skinnier than is healthy, so they can make the credits available so others can remain fat.

The system I like better, than carbon credits, is a carbon reward system. One is given a tax rebate based on their conservation. It sort of like, for every pound of fat you lose, you get a $10 bill. One can then spend that as they like, adding this reward money back into the economy. If one adds trees to help absorb CO2 that also receives a reward because it helps the overall good. The credit system is more based on fear and with some of the ingenuity being used to get around the system. The reward system is a positive motivation system that taps into the ingenuity and dedication of everyone. Even businesses will invest in R&D, since the reward will help to pay for the good.

We may first need to establish the baseline with the current weight the zero point; no penalty and no reward. There is no angry pressure just cash incentive to make the earth healthier. It is a more positive experience. Where the free market can enter are those who develop good techniques. They can be the trainers for the fat cats. Their training efforts allows them to share the rewards. I see a smoke stack that can be improved we lease out the technology to help out and share the reward from the system. A carrot always works better than a stick and makes the horse much happier to keep walking forward.