The Inflation Reduction Act includes more than $25 billion to expand and safeguard forests and promote farming practices thought to be climate friendly. But how much these practices will slow GlobalWarming is unclear.
When settlers plowed the North American prairie, they uncovered some of the most fertile soil in the world. But tilling those deep-rooted grasslands released massive amounts of underground carbon into the atmosphere. More greenhouse gases wafted into the skies when wetlands were drained and forests cleared for fields.
Sanderman and others think bigger climate gains could come from other changes in farming, such as lessening emissions from fertilizer and livestock. And climate and agriculture expert Tim Searchinger of Princeton University sees a need for more research on climate-beneficial farming practices. USDA “needs to come up with an ambitious, creative plan and include a really good system for tracking progress.
Planting cover crops such as cowpeas and vetch, for example, boosts soil carbon on average each year by one-third of a ton per hectare, according to a 2015 meta-analysis in. The cover crops also help control weeds and make the soil more porous, says Cristine Morgan, scientific director of the Soil Health Institute. “Grab a shovel and jump on it,” she says. “And the shovel goes deeper.” Yet the net climate benefits remain uncertain.
Still, Keith Paustian, a soil scientist at Colorado State University, and others argue that together, these regenerative soil practices are powerful climate tools. “We can regain potentially quite a fair amount of that lost carbon,” he says, by combining no-till and cover crops with other steps, such as planting trees on farms and improving grazing management to revitalize pastures.
Many climate advocates say the most cost-effective way to help the climate through agriculture is simply to farm less land and raise less livestock. That means persuading farmers not to convert grasslands or other carbon-rich lands to row crops such as corn and soybeans. But the bill includes no additional funding for USDA’s main program for protecting sensitive private land, the Conservation Reserve Program.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What's in Big Biden Bill? Health, Climate Goals Become LawPresident Joe Biden arrived at the White House promising to “build back” America, and legislation he’s signing delivers a slimmer, though not insignificant, version of that once sweeping idea. — The Associated Press
Read more »
President Biden Has Signed a Historic Bill Addressing Climate ChangeAfter months of negotiations, the Inflation Reduction Act—the most significant legislative action against climate change in U.S. history—has now been passed into law.
Read more »
Biden signs massive climate and health care legislationThe legislation includes the biggest federal investment ever to fight climate change — some $375 billion over a decade.
Read more »
How the Huge New US Climate Bill Will Save You MoneyPresident Biden just signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocates hundreds of billions to fight climate change. Here’s how to get your share:
Read more »
Biden signs massive climate and health care legislationThe legislation includes the biggest federal investment ever to fight climate change — some $375 billion over a decade.
Read more »
Scientists welcome ‘enormous’ US climate bill — but call for stronger actionBiden signs historic legislation to pour billions into fighting climate change as the global temperature continues to rise.
Read more »