CO2, or carbon, is a dirty word these days – and for good reason. Due to
a number of causes including the burning of fossil fuels and widespread
deforestation, there is
far too much CO2 being returned to the atmosphere, resulting in climate change. The US Energy Information Administration
estimates that
in 2017 the United States emitted 5.1 billion metric tons of
energy-related carbon dioxide, while the global emissions of
energy-related carbon dioxide totaled 32.5 billion metric tons. Despite the grim outlook, there are ways of reversing the abundance of CO2, including sequestration, which is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. An entire marketplace has developed around CO2 mitigation that enables CO2 emitting industries to purchase carbon credits from businesses engaged in offsetting activities, such as the production of renewable energy through wind farms or biomass energy, as well as energy efficiency projects, the destruction of industrial pollutants or agricultural byproducts, reducing landfill methane, and forestry projects. The
price that
the company pays for these credits is used to support projects and
businesses that help sequester carbon. In general, a carbon credit gives
the purchaser the right to emit
one ton of CO2. There is a voluntary carbon offset market, but some larger companies
are required by law to purchase carbon credits to offset their
carbon-producing activities in the so-called compliance market.
For the
Western Sustainability Exchange, there’s no reason that the carefully managed, rotational grazing of livestock can’t also qualify for the carbon credit market.“We have been working with ranchers to implement rotational grazing for
about 25 years since we started. That was one of our founding
principles: to manage land better through grazing animals,” Chris Mehus,
ranching program director at WSE, told AFN. “Carbon credit broker
Native Energy approached us about four years ago to discuss the concept
of getting ranchers into a program that allows them to trade carbon
credits and to get paid for using rotational grazing because of the
carbon that it sequesters.” In partnership with international carbon credit broker
NativeEnergy, Syracuse University soil science organization
Soils for the Future, and the US’ largest national park concessionaire
Xanterra Parks and Resorts,
WSE is helping farmers figure out whether implementing rotational
grazing practices make sense for their ranches through the Montana
Grasslands Carbon Initiative...
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1 comment:
This is the biggest bunch of bunk on the American tax payer. Carbon is the building block of life, but the used oats science labeled it a pollutant. No self respecting rancher should apply for this payment. But rotational grazing is beneficial if the operator knows how to do it. Getting paid to do it doesn't include knowledge.
The trouble is that none of the used oats scientists can properly manage rotational grazing since it is an art and not a science. Before any rancher undertakes to practice something the greenies propose ask to see how their land looks under the practice. Its the rare scientist who can show you anything.
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