Carbon sequestration and storage
Historically, land-use conversion and soil cultivation have been an important source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. It is estimated that they are responsible for about one-third of GHG emissions. However, improved agricultural practices can help mitigate climate change by reducing emissions from agriculture and other sources and by storing carbon in plant biomass and soils.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with livestock supply chains add up to 7.1 gigatonnes (GT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) per year – or 14.5 percent of all human-caused GHG releases. Part of the GHG emissions from livestock are associated with direct and indirect land use change which affect carbon stocks in soil and vegetation and their sequestration potential. Conversely, grassland carbon sequestration could significantly offset emissions, with global estimates of about 0.6 gigatonnes CO2-eq per year.
The oceans and aquatic systems are important GHG sequesters and sinks: oceans presently take up about one-third of the excess CO2 released into the air and some 93% of the earth’s carbon dioxide is stored in the oceans. Related global warming and acidification can impact fisheries and aquaculture through changes biological processes and distributions, sea level rise, coral bleaching, extreme events, disease and post-harvest risks, for example. Fisheries and aquaculture can support carbon sequestration and storage through maintaining “Blue carbon” sinks (peatlands, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, other vegetated ocean habitats) as well as through carbon sequestering products, such as molluscs and seaweed.
Urban trees can affect air quality in the following ways:
(i) converting carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosynthesis;
(ii) intercepting particulate pollutants (dust, ash, pollen and smoke) and absorbing toxic gases such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide,
(iii) emitting various volatile organic compounds contributing to ozone formation in cities
(iv) lowering local air temperatures
(v) reducing building temperature extremes in both summer and winter and consequently reduce pollution emissions from power-generating facilities.
Name
Carbon sequestration and storage
Description
Ecosystems regulate the global climate by storing greenhouse gases. For example, as trees and plants grow, they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and effectively lock it away in their tissues.
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