{"id":587,"date":"2021-12-19T22:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T22:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/?p=587"},"modified":"2022-02-27T21:08:12","modified_gmt":"2022-02-27T21:08:12","slug":"human-impacts-on-the-global-carbon-cycle-signs-of-madness-and-signs-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2021\/12\/19\/human-impacts-on-the-global-carbon-cycle-signs-of-madness-and-signs-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Impacts on the Global Carbon Cycle: Signs of Madness and Signs of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">David P. Turner \/ December 19, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earth System Science has come to a remarkably good understanding of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/site\/assets\/uploads\/2018\/02\/WG1AR5_Chapter06_FINAL.pdf\">global carbon cycle<\/a> in recent decades.&nbsp; The various pools (stocks) of carbon have been quantified (e.g. vegetation, soil, and atmosphere), along with the annual fluxes from one pool to another.&nbsp; A key revelation has been that the quantity of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2<\/sub>) in the atmosphere is increasing and that the increase is driven by anthropogenic factors (fossil fuel combustion and deforestation).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the rising CO<sub>2<\/sub> concentration is associated with a trajectory towards dangerous climate change, humanity has slowly moved towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/mission-2020-new-global-strategy-rapidly-reduce-carbon-emissions\">commitments to reduce CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions<\/a>.&nbsp; Some types of emissions are more glaring than others, and this blog highlights four of the most egregious examples (signs of madness).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, there are many technical and policy options for reducing CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions or speeding CO<sub>2<\/sub> uptake, and this blog highlights four of the most promising (signs of hope).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Signs of Madness<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.&nbsp; Oil from Tar Sands. Given the goal of reducing anthropogenic CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions as quickly as possible, an obvious candidate for termination is extraction of oil from tar sands (Figure 1).&nbsp; The whole process of extracting hydrocarbons from the Earth and refining them has an energy cost, with related CO<sub>2<\/sub> emission.&nbsp; Unlike conventional oil, which comes out of the ground ready for the refinery, tar sands hydrocarbons must be mechanically extracted in a bulk form that includes many contaminants.&nbsp; This material is then heated to isolate the oil component, a treatment requiring substantial energy <a>\u2013<\/a> usually provided by combustion of natural gas.&nbsp; The net effect is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucsusa.org\/resources\/what-are-tar-sands\">15% higher overall emissions of CO<sub>2<\/sub> per gallon of gasoline coming from tar sands<\/a> compared to conventional oil.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008-1.jpg\" alt=\"Human Impacts on the Global Carbon Cycle.  Open pit mine in the tar sands oil fields of Alberta, Canada\" class=\"wp-image-589\" title=\"illustrates open pit tar sands mine\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008-1-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 1. Aerial photograph of open pit mine in the tar sands oil fields of Alberta, Canada.&nbsp; Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008.jpg\">Dru Ojo Jay, Dominion<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>2.&nbsp; Tropical Zone Deforestation.&nbsp; About <a href=\"https:\/\/robbieandrew.github.io\/GCB2021\/PNG\/s46_2021_Global_Sources_and_Sinks.png\">10% of anthropogenic CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions<\/a> comes from tropical zone deforestation.&nbsp; The <a href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/what-are-drivers-deforestation\">driving factors<\/a> are primarily conversion to cattle ranching, industrial and subsistence agriculture, and tree plantations (Figure 2).&nbsp; In 2021, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/11\/19\/1057245837\/brazil-amazon-rainforest-worst-deforestation-rate\">rate of deforestation in Brazil<\/a> rose 22% and Indonesia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2021\/09\/20\/indonesia-ends-forest-protection-deal-norway-raising-deforestation-fears\/\">cancelled a billion-dollar agreement<\/a> with Norway to reduce deforestation.&nbsp; Besides direct CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions from burning and decomposition of residues, the destruction of intact forests means removal of an on-going carbon sink since most forestland is now gaining carbon as part of normal growth or <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/01\/20\/land-photosynthesis-is-increasing\/\">accelerated growth from CO<sub>2<\/sub> fertilization<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1-1024x720.jpg\" alt=\"Human Impacts on the Global Carbon Cycle.  Deforestation.\" class=\"wp-image-591\" title=\"Illustrate deforestation\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1-1024x720.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1-768x540.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1-1536x1080.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1-427x300.jpg 427w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/caguanriver_tmo_2000350_lrg-1.jpg 2029w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 2.&nbsp; Deforestation in the area of the Caguan River, Brazil.&nbsp; Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/earthobservatory.nasa.gov\/images\/145888\/making-sense-of-amazon-deforestation-patterns\">NASA<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>3.&nbsp; Supersonic Passenger Jets.&nbsp; United Air Lines has announced plans to operationalize a fleet of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/technology-57361193\">supersonic passenger jets<\/a> around 2029.&nbsp; Their virtue would be cutting flight times across oceans by about half (they generally aren\u2019t used over land because of sonic booms).&nbsp; Their downside is a <a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org\/features\/supersonics-not-so-super-emissions\/\">factor of 2.5 to 7 increase in carbon emissions<\/a> per passenger mile.&nbsp; In theory, their engines could burn sustainable aviation fuel but there are many issues with scaling up production of this fuel if demand increased substantially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4.\u00a0 Bitcoin\u2019s \u201cproof-of-work\u201d Mining Protocol.\u00a0 Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that has a particularly energy intensive mode of operation, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/02\/25\/climate\/bitcoin-china-energy-pollution.html\">much of the energy is from fossil fuels<\/a>.\u00a0 New digital coins are mined (created) by a competitive process in which multiple computer processors race to solve a computationally intense problem.\u00a0 Only one computer wins, meaning that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/investing\/bitcoins-energy-usage-explained\/\">99.9% of energy use and associated carbon emissions are wasted<\/a>.\u00a0 Current Bitcoin electricity consumption is on the order of <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2021\/03\/21\/the-debate-about-cryptocurrency-and-energy-consumption\/\">consumption by a small country<\/a>.\u00a0 Alternative \u201cproof-of-stake\u201d approaches used by other cryptocurrencies are much less energy intensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Signs of Hope<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.&nbsp; Natural Climate Solutions (NCS).&nbsp; The land surface is currently a net sink for carbon dioxide, even after accounting for effects of deforestation.&nbsp; Most of that carbon accumulation is showing up in live wood (Figure 3), thus it is tracked by global forest inventories.&nbsp; However, a significant amount may also be accumulating in global soils (in part because of CO<sub>2<\/sub> fertilization of plant growth).&nbsp; The aim of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/114\/44\/11645\">NCS strategy<\/a> is to maintain all existing land carbon sinks and foster new carbon sequestration by way of altered land management.&nbsp; Besides stopping deforestation, and <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/tropical-forests-can-recover-surprisingly-quickly-on-deforested-lands-and-letting-them-regrow-naturally-is-an-effective-and-low-cost-way-to-slow-climate-change-173302\">reforesting large tracts of previously deforested land<\/a>, NCS (more broadly <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/gcb.15513\">Nature-based Solutions<\/a>) will operate in the agricultural sector, wetlands, and grasslands.&nbsp; Scientists estimate that NCS could provide <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/gcb.15873\">up to 30% of the reduction in CO<sub>2<\/sub> emission<\/a> needed to hit net zero emissions at the global scale by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Human Impacts on the Global Carbon Cycle.  Carbon accumulation.\" class=\"wp-image-593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3635\/files\/2021\/12\/Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Figure 3.&nbsp; Old-growth forest at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest near Blue River. Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Old-growth_forest_at_the_H.J._Andrews_Experimental_Forest_2.jpg\">Oregon State University<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>2.&nbsp; Product Certification.&nbsp; World leaders made a commitment at <a href=\"https:\/\/ukcop26.org\/\">COP26<\/a> to reduce deforestation and end it by 2030.&nbsp; A major player in that effort will be <a href=\"https:\/\/us.fsc.org\/en-us\/certification\">nongovernmental organizations<\/a> that certify forest products as being produced sustainably, notably not in association with deforestation.&nbsp; Products driving deforestation \u2013 and covered to a greater or lesser degree by certification \u2013 include <a href=\"https:\/\/fsc.org\/en\/newsfeed\/the-importance-of-purchasing-responsibly-sourced-tropical-wood\">wood<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucsusa.org\/sites\/default\/files\/attach\/2016\/09\/ucs-cattle-cleared-forests-climate-change-2016.pdf\">beef<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/forest500.org\/analysis\/insights\/commodity-series-no-more-hiding-leather-industry\">leather<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cifor.org\/knowledge\/publication\/5819\/\">soybeans<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/115\/1\/121\">palm oil<\/a>.&nbsp; The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/Supply_Chain_Tracking_Tools.pdf\">science of sourcing forest products<\/a> is receiving a big boost from research in remote sensing (e.g. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalforestwatch.org\/blog\/data-and-research\/radd-radar-alerts\/\">radar detection of land cover change<\/a>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2018\/03\/where-does-your-timber-come-from-genetic-analysis-may-soon-tell-you\/\">genetic analyses<\/a>.&nbsp; Individuals as well as buyers for corporate supply chains are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/news\/release-palm-oil-industry-jointly-develop-radar-monitoring-technology-detect-deforestation\">increasingly attentive to sourcing issues<\/a> and now have better leverage to identify products associated with recent deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.&nbsp; Carbon taxes.&nbsp; Economists have long argued that the fastest and more practical strategy for driving down anthropogenic carbon emissions is to <a href=\"https:\/\/earth.org\/carbon-tax-a-shared-global-responsibility-for-carbon-emissions\/\">establish taxes on fossil fuel carbon emissions<\/a>.&nbsp; That approach of course tends to arouse political opposition, but several case studies prove carbon taxation is possible and effective.&nbsp; The province of British Columbia in Canada imposed a moderate tax on fossil fuel emission in 2008, which has <a href=\"https:\/\/nicholasinstitute.duke.edu\/climate\/publications\/british-columbias-revenue-neutral-carbon-tax-review-latest-grand-experiment\">reduced fuel emissions on the order of 5-15%. <\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/files.taxfoundation.org\/20200929121706\/Looking-Back-on-30-Years-of-Carbon-Taxes-in-Sweden-re.pdf\">Sweden<\/a> has one of the oldest and highest taxes on fossil fuel emissions.&nbsp; Again, follow-up studies suggest emissions have declined, while maintaining solid GPD growth.&nbsp; Various strategies have been employed to insulate the most vulnerable energy consumers from price increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4.&nbsp; Satellite-based Monitoring of Methane Leakage.&nbsp; Methane is a strong greenhouse gas in its own right and is eventually oxidized in the atmosphere to CO<sub>2<\/sub>.&nbsp; Unfortunately, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2021\/03\/30\/peak-methane-emissions-and-peak-methane-concentration\/\">methane emissions are on the rise<\/a> in recent years, with leakage from expanding coal and natural gas mining and infrastructure a significant factor.&nbsp; Because methane has a relatively short atmospheric lifetime (about 8 years) compared to carbon dioxide, a decrease in methane emissions would have an especially large influence on global warming in the next few decades.&nbsp; Earth system scientists use satellite borne sensors to track atmospheric methane concentrations and infer regional patterns in methane emissions.&nbsp; But a new generation of sensors, including one run by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.methanesat.org\/\">Environmental Defense Fund<\/a>, is transforming the attribution of leakage sources by increasing the spatial and temporal resolution of the coverage.&nbsp; These sensors will contribute to monitoring the effectiveness of the <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/statement_21_5766\">Global Methane Pledge<\/a> recently signed at COP26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The world is at, or fast approaching, the year of <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2020\/12\/02\/peak-carbon-dioxide-emissions-and-peak-carbon-dioxide-concentration\/\">peak carbon dioxide emissions<\/a>.&nbsp; The signs of madness identified here serve to push that year farther into the future.&nbsp; The signs of hope will hasten its arrival and help sustain a multidecadal trajectory towards <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2020\/12\/1078612\">net zero emissions<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David P. Turner \/ December 19, 2021 Earth System Science has come to a remarkably good understanding of the global carbon cycle in recent decades.&nbsp; The various pools (stocks) of carbon have been quantified (e.g. vegetation, soil, and atmosphere), along &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/technosphere\/2021\/12\/19\/human-impacts-on-the-global-carbon-cycle-signs-of-madness-and-signs-of-hope\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9521,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1390737],"tags":[1394097,1394105,1394107,1394095,1394093,1391773,1394106,1394090,1394043,1394045,1394100,1394101,1394108,1393993,1394000,1394102,1394099,1394098,1394092,1394091,1394104,1394096,1394094,1394103],"class_list":["post-587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-long-form","tag-bitcoin","tag-carbon-taxes","tag-cop26","tag-deforestation","tag-fossil-fuel-emissions","tag-global-carbon-cycle","tag-global-methane-pledge","tag-human-impacts","tag-methane","tag-methane-leakage","tag-natural-climate-solutions","tag-nature-based-solutions","tag-net-zero-emissions","tag-oil","tag-peak-carbon-dioxide-emissions","tag-product-certification","tag-proof-of-stake","tag-proof-of-work","tag-signs-of-hope","tag-signs-of-madness","tag-sourcing","tag-supersonic-passenger-jets","tag-tar-sands","tag-wood"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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