Sajal Sthapith

The Abstract of the paper I am presenting is copied below. This report came out in June 2009.
Agriculture, forestry, and other changes in land use are responsible for more than 30 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Despite advances in the energy sector, the only method currently available for removing large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere is plant photosynthesis.

The report explains how capturing carbon in the land through agricultural and land use practices can reduce the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change, using these five major strategies: i) Enriching soil carbon, ii) Farming with perennials, iii) Climate-friendly livestock production, iv) Protecting natural habitat and v) Restoring degraded watersheds and rangelands.

This report also proposes ways to resolve key issues like monitoring, permanence, co-benefits, and scalability, to enable the full inclusion of farming and land use solutions in climate change policy. To tap the full potential of land use mitigation, six principles for action are recommended:

•  Include the full range of terrestrial emission reduction, storage, and sequestration options in climate policy and investment;

•  Incorporate farming and land use investments in cap-and-trade systems;

•  Link terrestrial climate mitigation with adaptation, rural development, and conservation strategies;

•  Encourage large, area-based programs;

•  Encourage voluntary markets for greenhouse gas emission offsets from agriculture and land use

•  Mobilize a worldwide, networked movement for climate-friendly food, forest, and other land-based production

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