Joint NASA/USDA Workshop on Agricultural Decision Support

System

Carbon Management

William Hohenstein

USDA Global Change Program Office

March 4, 2003

Overview of key elements of the Administration Climate Change plan

Sets a goal of 18% improvement in GHG efficiency Roughly a reduction of 100 million tons of carbon

Incentives for carbon sequestration Enhance conservation programs Identify new targeted incentives Promote private sector investments

Transferrable credits for real reductions Substantially improve the GHG reduction registry Offers transferable credits for real reductions Create agreements with businesses and sectors

Invest in new technologies; and

Improve our scientific understanding

Improved access to remote information could support carbon management priorities

Targeted incentives for carbon sequestration

New accounting rules and guidelines

National inventories of greenhouse gas fluxes from forest and agricultural lands

Bilateral climate change agreements

Mechanisms

Climate Change Technology Program

Climate Change Science Program

The President directed Secretary Veneman to:

Provide recommendations on targeted incentives for forest and agricultural sequestration of greenhouse gases

The Secretary has broad discretion in identifying “targeted incentives”

Incorporating GHG considerations in implementing Conservation Programs

Outreach and technical assistance Guidance to states Market-based pilots and programs that directly target

greenhouse gas offsets Promoting and leverage private sector financing of

greenhouse gas offsets Measure and assess performance

The President directed Secretary Veneman to:

Develop accounting rules and guidelines for crediting carbon sequestration projects, in consultation with DOE and EPA

Issues for USDA in developing accounting rules and guidelines

Methodologies

Defaults

Site measurements

Models

Types of actions eligible

Level of reporting

Baselines

Duration of credits (accounting for potential emissions in the future)

2

1

4

3

6

9875

1011

12

Stratification: divide area into zones of similar vegetation structure to reduce the variance of the field sample estimates

Common Elements of Project Monitoring

Sampling: use a combination of remote sensing and ground measurement

Estimation: use appropriate statistical methods to estimate carbon stocks and stock changes

Nowak 2000

GuidelinesForms and Software

Technical Workshops – Jan 2003

Post-workshop comments – Feb 2003

Develop draft accounting rules and guidelines – Jan – July 2003

Interagency review of draft accounting rules and guidelines – Aug 2003

Revise draft accounting rules and guidelines – Sept. 2003

Public comment on draft guidelines – Oct – Nov 2003

Issue revised accounting rules and guidelines based on comments – Jan 2004

Jan 04

Initiate work on forms – July 2003

Draft forms – Sept 2003

Government review of draft forms – Oct 2003

Revise draft forms – Nov 2003

Propose draft forms for public comment – Dec 2003

Develop and test software – Nov 2003 – June 2004

OMB review of reporting forms – April 2004

Final forms and software June 2004June 04

Timeline for Preparation of Forestry and Agriculture Accounting Rules and Guidelines

Jan 03

1999 Contribution to U.S. Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Agriculture and Forests

Fossil Fuel CO2

81%

Ag. N2O 5%

Ag. CH4 2%

Other

CO 2

2%

Other

N 2O

2%

Other

CH 4

7 %

HFC’s, P

FC’s, S

F 6 2

%

Total Emissions: 1840.4 MMTCE

Forests

70%

Wood

products

22%

Carbon Sequestration: 270.2 MMTCE

Ag soils 8%

Inventory Sample Design

Phase One – Remote Sensing to Stratify Forest Area

3,000,000 forest sample points, each equals 100 ha

Phase Two – Ground Sampling of Forest Attributes

120,000 forest sample points, each equals 2200 ha

Phase Three – Forest Health Monitoring

4,500 forest sample points, each equals 38,500 ha

Ownership of Carbon Stocks on U.S. Forest Land, 1997

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Nonindustrial private

Forest industry

Other public

National forest

Billion metric tons

Carbon Stock Changes on U.S. Forest Land by Owner Group, 1987-1997(U.S. Total = 190 MMT/yr)

-50 0 50 100 150 200

Million metric tons per year

Nonindustrial private

Forest industry

Other public

National forest

Committee on Climate Change Science and Technology IntegrationChair: Secretary of Commerce,* Vice Chair: Secretary of Energy*

Executive Director: OSTP DirectorSecretary of State Secretary of the InteriorSecretary of Agriculture Secretary of HHSEPA Administrator Secretary of TransportationOMB Director Secretary of DefenseNEC Director CEQ ChairmanNASA Administrator NSF Director

Climate Change Science Program OfficeDirector: DR. James Mahoney

Membership:, DOC, DOE, DOS, DOI, USDA, HHS,

EPA,OMB,NASA, NSF, DOD, OSTP, Smithsonian

Climate Change Technology Program

Department of Energy

NCCTI Member working group

Combined NSC, DPC, NEC Climate Change Policy Panel(Program Review)

Interagency Working Group on Climate Change Science and Technology

Chair: Deputy/Under Secretary of DOE,* Vice Chair: Deputy/Under Secretary of DOC*

Secretary: OSTP AD for Science Members DS/US Level:

DOS, DOT, DOI, USDA, HHS, DOD, EPA, CEQ, NEC, OMB, NASA, NSF

Science and Technology Management Structure

*Chair and Vice Chair of committee and working group rotate annually

Climate Change Technology Initiative Improved management practices Precision agriculture – e.g. application

of fertilizer, nutrient management, water management

Measurement and estimation technologies

Global Change Research Program and Climate Change Research Technology

Development of new 10-year strategic plan Carbon cycle Water cycle Ecosystems Land use and land cover change

Decision support Scenario development Observation systems

State Department pursuing bilateral

agreements with 14 countries

Australia Brazil Canada China CONCAUSA (Central

American Countries) European Union India

Italy Japan Korea Mexico New Zealand Russia South Africa Ukraine (on hold)