Conservation advocates are pressing the state to set ambitious targets for nature-based climate solutions this week.
The California Natural Resources Agency's Expert Advisory Committee meets Thursday to unveil draft recommendations to capture and store climate-warming carbon through better management of farms, forests and wetlands.
Baani Behniwal, natural sequestration initiative manager at the Climate Center, said nature-based solutions draw carbon down while increasing water and food security.
"They reduce public health implications of much of the land practices today. They clean up our air," Behniwal outlined. "There are a million reasons why we should be doing more of them, and faster."
Plants naturally sequester carbon in their biomass and in the soil. Restoration of coastal wetlands and conservation of old-growth forests, for example, remove carbon from the air and make the state more resilient to the effects of climate change, such as drought, wildfire and flooding.
Conservation groups also want to expand incentive programs to help farmers plant cover crops, apply compost and reduce the amount of soil being disturbed. Behniwal noted a 2022 study from the Climate Center found such practices on agricultural and range lands could draw down 103 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
Source: publicnewsservice.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-songdech17
Categories: North Dakota, Sustainable Agriculture