Description
Book SynopsisSuitable for farmers, foresters, land managers, consultants, brokers, investors, regulators, and others interested in creating consistent, credible greenhouse gas offsets as a tradable commodity in the United States, this guide contains a non-technical section detailing methodologies for scoping of the costs and benefits of a proposed project.
Trade Review“Overall, this volume should be quite useful to anyone who needs to understand the emerging market for carbon offsets. . . . Readers with a natural resources background will find the discussion of the policy and economic aspects of carbon offset projects instructive, and those with a business or policy background will gain a good understanding of the technical aspects of quantifying the various carbon pools. For policymakers, this book is an excellent overview of a complex and growing topic.
Harnessing Farms and Forests in the Low-Carbon Economy is a thorough well-written treatment of an important topic, and is a useful reference for those in agriculture, business, forestry and policy.” -- Coeli M. Hoover * Environmental Conservation *
Table of ContentsForeword vii
Preface ix
Part I. Overview
1. Introduction: The Role of Landowners and Farmers in the New Low-Carbon Economy 3
2. The Process of Creating Offsets 10
3. Land-Management Options for Creating Offsets 22
Part II. Steps in Determining a Project's Offsets
4. Step 1: Scoping the Costs and Benefits of a Proposed Project 39
5. Step 2: Determining Additionality and Baselines 46
6. Step 3: Quantifying the Carbon Sequestered in Forests 52
7. Step 4: Quantifying the Carbon Sequestered in Soil 64
8. Step 5: Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Manure 75
9. Step 6: Quantifying and Minimizing Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Soil 84
10. Step 7: Estimating Leakage or Off-Site Emissions Caused by the Project 91
11. Step 8: Verifying and Registering Offsets 99
12: Conclusion: Putting These Guidelines into Pratice 107
Appendices 109
Notes 209
Bibliography 215
Index 223
