Background
The New Scientist article indicates that the Ukraine crisis has generated a scramble for resources that is jeopardising the thrust for renewables and accelerating the increase in atmospheric CO2. Alternatively, sanctions imposed on Russia's gas pipe line may pave the way for the exit from hydrocarbons as the critical energy source.
The CSIRO ECOS (link: https://www.csiro.au/Newsletters/ECOS/2022-04 ) article discusses the method use to determine how to meaure climate change attribution to specific severe weather events.
The Benalla Ensign article showcases a local farmer who has achieved carbon neutrality under a scheme promoted by Meat and Livestock Australia.
Frank Dunin’s paper considers the difficulty of measuring the take up of carbon in wooded ecosystems.
Introduction
- Urban communities with high population density that sponsor high traffic and industrial activity lead to concentrated sources of trace gas emission. Of major concern are two carbon gases, CO2 and CH4 because of heating capacity and having relatively long residence time in the atmosphere. Does Urban Planning have a role in mitigating carbon emissions such as venting methane for energy generation or effecting appropriate drainage around industrial sites?
- Rural landscapes are characterised by the presence of green vegetation for extended periods. This presence is supported by Photosynthesis entailing the assimilation of CO2 predominantly from the atmosphere. This capacity for CO2 assimilation has attracted industrial enterprises to offset their carbon emissions in striving towards carbon neutrality by 2050. Wooded ecosystems appeal as effective agents for this offset. The capacity for legitimate offset is being questioned in wooded communities as to their effectiveness and raises the question of "Is carbon neutrality achievable by 2050"?
- Tom Crocker's contribution of land capability survey with perturbations through land management becomes a valuable asset to judge whether urban emissions can be balanced with rural assimilation.
- Judging ecosystem efficacy to offset urban emission require understanding of carbon balance of these systems and how they are distributed across the landscape.
Who are the big GHG emitters in Australia?
- Key groupings of GHG emission sectors consist of:
- Electricity
- Stationary energy (except electricity)
- Transport
- Agriculture
- Fugitive emissions
- Industrial processes
- Waste
- Land use, and use change and forestry (LULUCF)
- What do they each proportionally contribute to Australia’s total GHG emissions?
https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/national-greenhouse-gas-inventory-quarterly-update-march-2021
- How does Australia’s GHG emissions compare to other nations?
Attachments:
- New Scientist article
- ECOS article link: https://www.csiro.au/Newsletters/ECOS/2022-04
- Ensign article
- Frank’s paper
John Lane