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Reducing Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Voluntary Action
Excerpts form remarks delivered at the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Tenth Session of the Conference
of Parties, U.S. Government Side Event, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December
8, 2004
by Bruce I. Knight, Chief,
Natural Resources Conservation Service
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NRCS The agriculture industry is responsible for a small but significant
portion of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States – about nine
percent of the total.
As part of the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture has an
obligation to be part of the solution. But, beyond the trade-off between problem
and solution, American agriculture stands to benefit greatly from the overall
commitment of our country and others to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions -- regardless of the rate and timing of climate change.
Reducing Emissions / Maintaining Profitability
Agricultural systems are vulnerable to changes in growing season, precipitation,
and water availability. The concerns for agriculture are best summarized as
mitigating the impact of change on farmers and identifying the role of farmers
in mitigating greenhouse gases.
The focus on our working lands must remain the production of food and fiber. The
technologies and systems for reducing emissions or sequestering carbon must be
compatible with agricultural production systems.
Climate Change Activities at USDA
Over the last 70 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a
partnership approach to conservation on agricultural lands.
When President Bush announced his Climate Change Strategy, he challenged USDA to
recommend targeted incentives for greenhouse gas offsets from agriculture and
forests.
The 2002 farm bill provides USDA with the authority and a record level of
resources to build partnerships -- including partnerships that target greenhouse
gases. The 2002 farm bill includes an increase of more than $17 billion for
conservation, which opens up many more options for many more producers. The bill
also places more emphasis on livestock and poultry operations, which is good
news in the climate change arena.
In 2003, Secretary Veneman announced a series of actions that USDA will take to
increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from forests
and agriculture. Coupled with the increases in overall conservation spending,
these actions are expected to increase the carbon sequestration and greenhouse
gas emissions reductions from the conservation programs by over 12 million tons
of carbon equivalent in 2012.
That reduction represents approximately 12 percent of President Bush’s goal to
reduce greenhouse gas intensity of the American economy by 18 percent in the
next decade.
USDA is harnessing a portfolio of conservation programs to build carbon back
into the soil and vegetation, integrating greenhouse gas considerations in our
conservation efforts, including such programs as the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wetlands Reserve
Program, the new Grassland Reserve Program (GRP), the joint USDA, Department of
Energy Biomass Research and Development Initiative, Conservation Innovation
Grants, the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and a variety of International
Partnerships
Market-Based Solutions
Although the costs of reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions fall on the
landowner, many of the benefits go to the public. So, to keep agriculture
strong, we must find ways for landowners to recoup many of the costs. That means
finding ways to place a value on the benefits our farmers and ranchers produce
and creating a market for those benefits.
Fortunately, with growing cooperation between Federal agencies and the passage
of the 2002 farm bill, we are beginning to make it more economical for domestic
producers to do their job and meet regulatory requirements. Through these
approaches and with a lot of hard work, we can bring economics and conservation
into the proper alignment.
Your contact is Carl Lucero, NRCS global climate change activities and programs
analyst, at 301-504-2222, or
carl.lucero@usda.gov.
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