Improving carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change

By Venter Mwongera

Climate change is one of the most pressing problems facing humanity today. The evidence is clear – greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are causing the Earth’s climate to warm at an unprecedented rate.

While reducing emissions is critical to mitigating climate change, we must also consider the potential for improved carbon sequestration to help offset emissions that cannot be avoided. In this opinion piece, I argue that improving carbon sequestration is an essential part of any effective climate change mitigation strategy.

Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored in soil, vegetation and other organic matter. Enhanced carbon sequestration refers to intentional actions that increase the amount of carbon stored in these systems.

The potential for improved carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change is significant. A study published in Nature estimates that increased carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems could mitigate up to 25% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Strategies to improve carbon sequestration

There are many strategies that can be used to improve carbon sequestration. One of the most promising is agroforestry, which integrates trees into agricultural landscapes. Agroforestry can increase carbon storage in soil and vegetation while providing a range of other benefits including improved soil health, increased biodiversity and improved food security.

A study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters found that agroforestry has the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon in the tropics and subtropics, where much of the world’s agricultural landscape is located.

In addition, improving carbon sequestration by restoring degraded ecosystems could be possible. Degraded soils, such as abandoned agricultural fields and degraded forests, have lost much of their carbon storage capacity.

However, recovery efforts can help restore this capacity. A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that restoring degraded soils has the potential to sequester up to 1 billion tons of carbon per year, equivalent to about 3% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Improving carbon sequestration is not a magic bullet for mitigating climate change. We must continue to prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions through other means, such as B. the transition to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency.

Improving carbon sequestration also has the potential to offer important co-benefits beyond mitigating climate change. For example, a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that increasing soil organic carbon in agricultural systems can improve soil health, increase crop yields, and improve water retention.

Another study published in the journal Science found that agroforestry can help maintain biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control.

Challenges in improving carbon sequestration

However, there are also challenges in improving carbon sequestration that need to be addressed. Some of these challenges are;

1. Lack of Funding and Policy Support: Lack of funding and policy support for carbon sequestration initiatives. Governments and other stakeholders must prioritize and invest in such projects by implementing policies and funding mechanisms that support these initiatives, e.g. B. Carbon prices and payments for ecosystem services.
2. Technical capacity and knowledge of those involved: Need for technical capacity and knowledge of those involved. Farmers and landowners must have the knowledge and skills needed to effectively implement carbon sequestration practices. Investing in knowledge dissemination mechanisms such as extension services and farmer field schools can help ensure stakeholders have the knowledge and skills they need to implement these practices effectively.
3. Land Use Change: Land use change can have significant impacts on carbon sequestration. For example, deforestation and the conversion of grassland to cropland can lead to a reduction in carbon sequestration. Addressing this challenge requires the implementation of policies and practices that promote sustainable land use, such as B. Agroforestry. Such an intervention can help increase carbon sequestration while providing important co-benefits such as improved soil health and increased biodiversity.
4. Scope of implementation: Improving carbon sequestration needs to be done at scale to have a meaningful impact on mitigating climate change. This requires significant investment and collaboration between stakeholders. Governments, NGOs and other stakeholders must work together to implement carbon sequestration projects at scale.

Addressing the challenges of improving carbon sequestration

To address these challenges, governments and other stakeholders must prioritize and invest in carbon sequestration projects. Some of the solutions could be;

1. Funding and policy support: Governments and other stakeholders can prioritize and invest in carbon sequestration projects by implementing policies and funding mechanisms that support initiatives such as carbon pricing and payments for ecosystem services. Governments can also introduce policies that incentivize sustainable land use practices that promote carbon sequestration, such as B. Agroforestry.
2. Technical Capacity and Stakeholder Knowledge: Providing education and training to smallholder farmers and landowners on the benefits and implementation of carbon sequestration practices can help ensure stakeholders have the knowledge and skills they need to use these practices effectively implement. Investing in knowledge-sharing mechanisms can also help encourage widespread adoption of these practices.
3. Land Use Change: The implementation of policies and practices that promote sustainable land use, such as B. agroforestry, can help increase carbon sequestration while providing important co-benefits such as improved soil health and increased biodiversity. Governments can also establish protected areas to encourage the preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems important for carbon sequestration.
4. The scale of implementation: Governments, NGOs and other stakeholders can work together to implement carbon sequestration projects at scale. Collaboration between stakeholders is essential to address the challenges of funding and policy support, technical capacity coupled with knowledge, and land use change. Governments can partner with NGOs, the private sector and local communities to implement large-scale carbon sequestration projects.

Therefore, addressing the challenges of improving carbon sequestration requires significant investment and collaboration between stakeholders.

However, by implementing solutions such as providing finance, political support and political goodwill, advancing technical capacity and knowledge, implementing sustainable land use practices, and working together to implement projects at scale, not only can we mitigate climate change, but we can important co-benefits for communities and ecosystems around the world.

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The author is a communications and advocacy specialist, mentor of the African Women Leaders in Agroecology initiative, chairperson for national and international engagements at the Intersectoral Forum for Agrobiodiversity and Agroecology (ISFAA) and treasurer of the board of the Association of ` Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK )