Soil Carbon Transitions Supporting Climate Change Mitigation

Climate change mitigation through livestock system transitions.

Livestock are responsible for 12% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable intensification of livestock production systems might become a key climate mitigation technology. However, livestock production systems vary substantially, making the implementation of climate mitigation policies a formidable challenge. Here, we provide results from an economic model using a detailed and hi...

Soil carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change

The increase in atmospheric concentration of CO2 by 31% since 1750 from fossil fuel combustion and land use change necessitates identification of strategies for mitigating the threat of the attendant global warming. Since the industrial revolution, global emissions of carbon (C) are estimated at 270F 30 Pg (Pg = petagram= 10 g = 1 billion ton) due to fossil fuel combustion and 136F 55 Pg due to...

The potential of soil organic carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation and food security

SOC sequestration on cropland and grassland is an important mitigation option with potentially significant cobenefits for food security. At a carbon price of 20 $/tCO2eq, Paustian et al. (2016) identified a technical mitigation potential of 3-8 GtCO2eq/yr related to improved cropland and grassland management, biochar application, enhanced root phenotypes, and restoration of degraded lands and o...

Cooperation on Climate-Change Mitigation†

We model greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a dynamic game. Countries’ emissions increase atmospheric concentrations of GHG, which negatively affects all countries' welfare. We analyze self-enforcing climate-change treaties that are supportable as subgame perfect equilibria. A simulation model illustrates conditions where a subgame perfect equilibrium supports the first-best outcome. In one of o...

Reply to Leifeld et al.: Enhanced top soil carbon stocks under organic farming is not equated with climate change mitigation.