Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network Documents

The purpose of the Carbon Cycles and Sinks project, launched in late 2008, is to develop policies which will enable the Irish land mass to become a carbon sink rather than a source of greenhouse emissions. More information at www.carboncyclesandsinks.org .

Turning the land from an emissions source to a carbon sink

By Corinna Byrne, from Fleeing Vesuvius. Farming and other land-based activities could do a lot to mitigate global warming. Ireland needs new policies to get its land to absorb CO2 rather than release it. The large amounts of carbon locked up in the country’s peatlands must be safeguarded and damaged bogs restored so that they can sequester carbon again. In addition, the use of biochar could reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions and build up the fertility and carbon content of the soil.

The costs and benefits of moving out of beef and into biofuel

Most beef farmers in Ireland are losing money. In view of this, some policymakers and commentators think that it would be in the national interest to encourage a lot of them to give up their loss-making hobby and to switch to growing biofuels instead. The Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network is preparing a report which explores this idea and draws some unexpected conclusions, and comments are very welcome.

Building a greenhouse gas emissions reduction and sinks development programme into the CAP

This submission was made by the Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network. It describes a possible framework for a Rural Environmental Protection-type framework which would reward farmers for practices that were likely to lead to their reducing their GHG emissions and also increasing the carbon content of their soils and the biomass growing on them. It suggests that best farming practice is re-assessed in the light of its climate effects and sequestration potential and re-defined if necessary. Farm payments would be made conditional on the adoption of these new best practice standards. No attempt would be made to pay farmers for …

Two new research projects for Feasta: Carbon Cycles and Sinks, and Smart Taxes

Feasta has been awarded multi-annual funding from the Irish Department of the Environment for two policy research projects:

Carbon Cycles and Sinks – to develop policies which will enable the Irish land mass to become a carbon sink rather than a source of greenhouse emissions. This project will be led by Richard Douthwaite, and Corinna Byrne has been hired as project coordinator and lead researcher.

Smart Taxes – to research, design, develop and adapt fiscal and market-based mechanisms to increase environmental, social and economic sustainability in Ireland. This project will be led by Emer O’Siochru, and Ellie Cuffe has been …

Submission to the Irish Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government on their guidelines for Carbon Cycles and Sinks

Feasta made this submission in collaboration with CELT (Centre for Environmental Living and Training). It explains the reasoning behind using carbon sinks as a way to mitigate climate change and suggests ways to incorporate the use of sinks into existing agricultural practice in Ireland.

The full submission can be downloaded as a PDF Version…