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Cover image for Biosequestration and ecological diversity : mitigating and adapting to climate change and environmental degradation
Title:
Biosequestration and ecological diversity : mitigating and adapting to climate change and environmental degradation
Personal Author:
Series:
Social environmental sustainability series
Publication Information:
Boca Raton, FL : Taylor & Francis, 2013.
Physical Description:
xxiii, 225 p. : ill. (some col.), map (some col.) ; 24 cm.
ISBN:
9781439853634
Abstract:
"Written for students, researchers, and academics involved in environmental and social sciences, as well as land owners and managers, this reference is the first of its kind to cover biosequestration for a broad audience. The author covers the scientific evidence of biosequestration, the various land practices that sequester carbon, and policies in place to encourage such practices. It includes examples of actions taken by the author that can be used by gardeners, farmers, ranchers, and those in land management. It also focuses on several issues of importance: global warming, carbon pollution, sustainable agriculture, ecological problems of conventional agriculture, and land management"-- Provided by publisher.

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30000010311934 SD387.C37 W49 2013 Open Access Book Book
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30000010241858 SD387.C37 W49 2013 Open Access Book Book
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Summary

Summary

Increased throughput of carbon-based fossil energy, the destruction of Earth's forests, and other land use changes have resulted in ever higher levels of waste in the form of greenhouse gases--as well as a diminished capacity of the planet to absorb and store those wastes. This means that to avoid catastrophic global warming and maintain the habitability of Earth by protecting essential soil and water resources, we will need to not only reduce emissions, but also increase carbon storage in the land system. Biosequestration and Ecological Diversity: Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Environmental Degradation discusses ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and build soil by changing the way people use and manage land.

Principles and Practices for Better Land Management

Examining biosequestration in social, economic, and political context, the book reviews recent scientific evidence on climate change and global ecological degradation and explains how the carbon cycle has been transformed by destructive land use practices, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. It describes the principles of biosequestration and restorative land management practices and discusses the potential of carbon storage. The author offers specific examples of inexpensive, proven practices that build soil, protect scarce water resources, and enhance ecological diversity. He also identifies conservation policies that provide technical assistance and financial resources for ecological protection and restoration.

How You Can Help Mitigate Climate Change with a Little Piece of Land

Restorative land use and land management practices are critical components of any comprehensive strategy for mitigating and adapting to climate change and global environmental degradation. This book explains how anyone who owns or manages land--from an apartment to a city lot to a farm, forest, park, or even a golf course--can help protect and enhance the biological sequestration of carbon.


Author Notes

Wayne A. White lives with his wife on an 80-acre farm in Jefferson County, Kansas, where they raise grass-fed beef, apples, pears, berries, biomass energy, and a variety of vegetables and herbs. He has a Ph.D. in sociology from Kansas State University, has taught sociology and political science, and has worked as a legislative lobbyist, grant writer, and program administrator for a statewide nonprofit legal services organization. White owns and cares for forest and grassland in Kansas, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. His interests include forestland health, high-diversity native grassland mixtures, and land management practices that protect and enhance ecological diversity.


Table of Contents

Series Editor's Notep. xi
About the Authorp. xiii
Acknowledgmentsp. xv
Introductionp. xvii
1 Global Warming and Ecological Degradationp. 1
1.1 Emergence of the Anthropocenep. 1
1.1.1 Ecological Constraintsp. 3
1.2 Climate Change as Contextp. 5
1.2.1 Climate Inertiap. 8
1.3 An Overview of Climate Change Evidencep. 9
1.3.1 Natural Factors and Denialp. 14
1.3.2 Uncertainties Remainp. 15
1.3.3 The Relative Impact of Natural and Anthropogenic Factorsp. 17
1.3.4 Long-Term Cycles and Rate of Warmingp. 19
1.4 CO 2 and Radiative Forcingp. 22
1.4.1 Human Impacts Recently Overwhelmed Natural Factorsp. 24
1.4.2 Radiative Forcingp. 25
1.4.3 The Paradox of Aerosolsp. 28
1.5 Climate Sensitivity: The Likely Extent and Rate of Warmingp. 29
1.5.1 The Uses and Limitations of Climate Modelsp. 32
1.6 The Ecosystem Impacts of Global Warming and Related Ecological Crisesp. 35
1.6.1 Marine Ecosystemsp. 36
1.6.2 Terrestrial Ecosystems and Complex Ecological Interactionsp. 38
1.6.3 Ecological Change at the Polesp. 43
1.6.4 Vector-Borne Disease and Beetle Population Explosionsp. 44
1.6.5 Biodiversity Lossp. 46
1.7 Prelude to a Strategyp. 49
Referencesp. 51
2 The Global Carbon Cycle and Terrestrial Biosequestrationp. 55
2.1 Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Carbon Cycle Imbalancep. 55
2.1.1 Introductionp. 55
2.1.2 Buying Timep. 57
2.1.3 Adaptingp. 59
2.1.4 An Unplanned Global Geophysical Experimentp. 60
2.1.5 Rate of Changep. 61
2.1.6 Carbon Reservoirs and Flux: From Stability to Imbalancep. 63
2.2 Enhanced Carbon Sequestrationp. 68
2.2.1 CCS Technologiesp. 68
2.2.2 Terrestrial Biosequestrationp. 69
2.2.3 Overview of Established Land Use and Management Strategiesp. 73
2.2.4 New and Developing Technologies for Enhanced Terrestrial Sequestrationp. 75
2.3 The Problem of Permanencep. 83
Referencesp. 86
3 Terrestrial Carbon, Food Security, and Biosequestration Enhancementp. 89
3.1 Land and Carbon Managementp. 89
3.2 Forest Biomes and Carbon Sinksp. 92
3.2.1 Boreal Forestsp. 94
3.2.2 Temperate Forestsp. 97
3.2.3 Tropical Forestsp. 98
3.2.4 A Precarious Improvementp. 100
3.2.5 Tropical Deforestation and Fossil Fuel Emissionsp. 101
3.2.6 Ecological Restorationp. 103
3.3 Agricultural Land, Degraded Soils, and Water Scarcityp. 104
3.3.1 Restoring Carbon to Agricultural Soilsp. 104
3.3.2 Cropland, Grazing Land, Water, Population, and Foodp. 106
3.3.3 Wetlands, Peatlands, and Aquatic Ecosystemsp. 114
3.4 Food Securityp. 115
3.5 Beyond Emissionsp. 118
3.6 A Conservative Estimate of Global Terrestrial Carbon Biosequestration Enhancementp. 119
Referencesp. 122
4 Land Management Examples, Practices, and Principlesp. 125
4.1 Land Management for Carbon Biosequestration and Ecological Diversityp. 125
4.1.1 Canadian Boreal Forestp. 125
4.1.2 Northeast Kansas Grassland and Homesteadp. 134
4.1.3 Biofuels in Ecological Contextp. 140
4.1.4 Displacing Coal with Biomass Energy from High-Diversity Grassland Speciesp. 147
4.1.5 Kansas Woodlandp. 149
4.1.6 Mature Lower Michigan Deciduous Forestp. 157
4.1.7 Toward Grain and Oilseed Perennialismp. 162
4.1.8 Food Production with Existing Best Practicesp. 166
4.1.9 Agroforestry and Reforestation in the Sahelp. 171
4.2 Concrete Steps and a Visionp. 174
Referencesp. 175
5 Conservation Policy and the Politics of Growthp. 179
5.1 Conservation Assistance Is Availablep. 179
5.2 Societal Transformation and the Politics of Growthp. 184
5.2.1 From Degradation to Restorationp. 184
5.2.2 A Sense of Urgencyp. 186
5.2.3 Changing the Energy System and Infrastructurep. 188
5.2.4 The Limitations of International Regulatory Frameworksp. 191
5.2.5 Local Action and a New Relationship with Naturep. 195
5.2.6 The Growth Dilemma and Globalizationp. 199
5.2.7 A New Economics and the Politics of Denialp. 202
Referencesp. 208
Appendix A Measures and Conversion Unitsp. 213
Appendix B Surface Albedop. 215
Indexp. 217
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