Most observers agree that farmers in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta are stuck between a rock (climate change) and a hard place (the Peripheral Canal), but they may be saved. This post reports on the potential for using wetlands to absorb carbon -- a "service" that Delta farmers (and farmers elsewhere) may be able to sell:
The project has shown an average of 1,000 grams of carbon per square meter per year has been captured over the past five years. That dwarfs the rate of carbon sequestration achieved in reforested agricultural land, which is typically less than 100 grams...On the one hand, this study seems to tilt the debate in favor of restoring wetlands (reducing farmland) in the Delta for GHG reasons. On the other, it supports an intuitive idea -- restoring Nature is good.
[BUT, there's a problem...] freshwater wetlands are not likely to sequester enough carbon to offset methane release.
[BUT, Delta wetlands are different...] high rates of sulfate... because the delta is hydrologically connected to the sea... favor high carbon production and low methane release.
Bottom Line: Pay to stop Delta farming, restore wetlands, and save the planet!
1 comments:
Recently received a catalog from www.prairiemoon.com with what looks like an excellent native plant seed mix they call Detention Basin mix for absorbing rainwater runoff and also a Raingarden mix for smaller residential options. These seem such a good idea and a way to aid native plant ecology too.
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