The cost effectiveness of a policy to store carbon in Australian agricultural soils to abate greenhouse gas emissions

Soil Change Matters 2014

White, Robert E.^1 ; Davidson, Brian^1

Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville

VIC

3010, Australia^1

关键词: Agricultural soils;    CO2 emissions;    Cost effectiveness analysis;    Credit value;    Economic factors;    Enterprise IS;    Methane emissions;    South-eastern Australia;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/25/1/012004/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1755-1315/25/1/012004

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Data for cropping and pastoral enterprises in south eastern Australia were used in a cost-effectiveness analysis to assess the feasibility of abating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through storing soil carbon (C) as soil organic matter under the Australian government's Carbon Farming Initiative. We used the C credit value for 2013-14 of $24.15 per tonne of CO2- equivalent (CO2-e) and a C storage rate of 0.5 tonne C/hectare/year for conversion of cropland to pasture. Given that a change of enterprise is driven primarily by farmer returns, we found that none of the changes were feasible at current prices, with the exception of wheat to cattle or sheep in an irrigated system, and dryland cotton to cattle or sheep. Given that our model scenario assumed the most favourable economic factors, it is unlikely that increased soil C storage through a change from cropping to pasture can make a significant contribution to abating Australia's CO2emissions. However, of greater concern to society is the methane emissions from grazing cattle or sheep, which would negate any gain in soil C under pasture, except for a switch from dryland cropping to sheep.