Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems
Calls are increasingly made for the inclusion of carbon sequestration in the product carbon footprint (PCF) of the outputs of managed woody perennial systems. However, due to methodological difficulties and a lack of common methods, the current application is inconsistent and often fails to address...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2017-07-01
|
| Series: | Carbon Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2017.1362947 |
| _version_ | 1827810997946023936 |
|---|---|
| author | Katharina Plassmann Andrew Norton |
| author_facet | Katharina Plassmann Andrew Norton |
| author_sort | Katharina Plassmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Calls are increasingly made for the inclusion of carbon sequestration in the product carbon footprint (PCF) of the outputs of managed woody perennial systems. However, due to methodological difficulties and a lack of common methods, the current application is inconsistent and often fails to address important issues, limiting the usefulness of available estimates of the climate mitigation potential of such systems. Suggestions are made for the future application of methods, and three situations are identified here in which it is meaningful to give credits for biogenic carbon: if management or land use changes increase total carbon stocks; if biogenic carbon replaces fossil fuels; and if biogenic carbon is stored for more than 100 years. Where these conditions are not met, other mechanisms should be used to incentivize increasing carbon stocks. All co-products arising from a plantation across its entire life cycle should be included in PCF calculations, based on a holistic view of the plantation. The aim is to reduce the inconsistency in current PCF calculations for products from woody plantations and to ensure that their climate mitigation potential is recognized in a meaningful way under the framework of product-related carbon accounting, thereby incentivizing climate-friendly management methods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:59:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1956765b3144456781b873d97ba617ef |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1758-3004 1758-3012 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:59:17Z |
| publishDate | 2017-07-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Carbon Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-1956765b3144456781b873d97ba617ef2023-09-21T15:09:04ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCarbon Management1758-30041758-30122017-07-018434334910.1080/17583004.2017.13629471362947Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systemsKatharina Plassmann0Andrew Norton1Yara International ASA, Research Centre for Plant Nutrition HanninghofRenuablesCalls are increasingly made for the inclusion of carbon sequestration in the product carbon footprint (PCF) of the outputs of managed woody perennial systems. However, due to methodological difficulties and a lack of common methods, the current application is inconsistent and often fails to address important issues, limiting the usefulness of available estimates of the climate mitigation potential of such systems. Suggestions are made for the future application of methods, and three situations are identified here in which it is meaningful to give credits for biogenic carbon: if management or land use changes increase total carbon stocks; if biogenic carbon replaces fossil fuels; and if biogenic carbon is stored for more than 100 years. Where these conditions are not met, other mechanisms should be used to incentivize increasing carbon stocks. All co-products arising from a plantation across its entire life cycle should be included in PCF calculations, based on a holistic view of the plantation. The aim is to reduce the inconsistency in current PCF calculations for products from woody plantations and to ensure that their climate mitigation potential is recognized in a meaningful way under the framework of product-related carbon accounting, thereby incentivizing climate-friendly management methods.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2017.1362947greenhouse gas emissionstree cropsbiogenic carboncarbon stockscarbon removals |
| spellingShingle | Katharina Plassmann Andrew Norton Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems Carbon Management greenhouse gas emissions tree crops biogenic carbon carbon stocks carbon removals |
| title | Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems |
| title_full | Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems |
| title_fullStr | Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems |
| title_short | Recognizing the benefits of above-ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems |
| title_sort | recognizing the benefits of above ground carbon sequestration in the carbon footprint of products derived from woody perennial systems |
| topic | greenhouse gas emissions tree crops biogenic carbon carbon stocks carbon removals |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2017.1362947 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katharinaplassmann recognizingthebenefitsofabovegroundcarbonsequestrationinthecarbonfootprintofproductsderivedfromwoodyperennialsystems AT andrewnorton recognizingthebenefitsofabovegroundcarbonsequestrationinthecarbonfootprintofproductsderivedfromwoodyperennialsystems |