BIOMASS HUB

As world leaders convene in Copenhagen, hope for a binding agreement is quickly fading.  Meanwhile, a foundation for future talks is starting to emerge.  At the heart of evolving blueprints will be strategies to reduce agricultural contributions to the climate change problem.

Agriculture and climate change issues are inextricably linked.  As reported by the International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI), agriculture currently contributes about 13.5 percent of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (with forestry, and particularly deforestation, contributing another 19 percent), compared with 13.1 percent from transportation.

According to the UK’s National Farmers’ Union (NFU) board chairman, Mr. Brackhouse, “In Britain, our Government Chief Scientist Prof John Beddington has warned of a ‘perfect storm’ of increasing demand for food, water and energy in the face of a changing climate.”  The same holds true across the globe.  The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) notes:

Climate change affects agriculture and food production in complex ways.  It affects food production directly through changes in agro-ecological conditions and indirectly by affecting growth and distribution of of incomes, and thus demand for agricultural produce.

The message in Copenhagen is that agriculture is, and must be, part of the solution.  The solutions offered for mitigating GHG emissions by the agricultural interests are likely to include carbon sequestration, soil and land use management, and biomass production.  At the top of the agenda will be hammering out strategies to avoid the negative implications of increased biomass utilization and a expanding biofuel/biodiesel industry, including deforestation, soil degradation, and increased pressure on scarce water resources.

IFPRI outlines three general strategies for negotiators in Copenhagen:

1. Investments. There must be explicit inclusion of agriculture-related investments, especially as part of a Global Climate Change Fund.
2. Information. There must be a solid commitment to establishing comprehensive information and monitoring services in soil and land use management for verification purposes.
3. Incentives. There must be a deliberate focus on introducing incentives to reduce emissions and support technological change.

Moving on these strategies, FAO announced today the launch of a new climate change mitigation program.  The multi-donor program aims to “promote sustainable low-emission agriculture in developing countries over the coming five years, in partnership with countries and other relevant organizations.”  FAO’s solution will have to get around the thorny issue of financing, which remains one of the more difficult impediments to developed and developing nation consensus around climate change.

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