Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Biochar for climate mitigation – facts and fears

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Numbers and figures –8 Gt carbon (C) (30 Gt CO 2 ) annually –of which 2 Gt (estimated) is from deforestation –Current level: 385 ppm –1 ppm CO 2 = 2.12 Gt C –If therewere no natural sinks: 3.77 ppm annual increase 400 ppm well before 2020!

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES More numbers and figures 1 kg char buried = 3.67 kg CO 2 removed Half-life of charcoal (biochar) in soils Preston & Schmidt: – years Lehmann: – years Bird: > 100 years (grass wildfire, high oxidation) Half-life of biomass > 40 years (estimated)

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES years old char

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Tipping points

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Antarctic ozone  Arctic summer sea-ice  Arctic permafrost ( going on ) Atlantic thermohaline circulation (NADW) El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Indian summer monsoon Sahara/Sahel and West African monsoon Amazon rainforest Boreal forest Antarctic Bottom Water Arctic ozone Tipping points – the Humpty Dumpty effect FG

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Risk for tipping increase considerably over 350 ppm ppm CO 2 Systems theory - climate

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Emission reductions only – is futile ! It is like cutting the branch – but doing it slower!

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES 7,68 7,53 7,38 7,23 7,09 6,956,81 6,67 6,546,41 7,84 8, ppm Assume a 20% emission reduction in ten years For the entire world! Current CO 2 concentration Reduced emissions Gt Carbon

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Accumulation Emissions Gigatonnes Carbon But, carbon dioxide accumulate in the air

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Accumulated Atmospheric CO 2 concentration, ppm Emissions Gigatonnes Carbon Thus, even an emisson reduction will lead to a disastous increase in concentration

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Gt/yr Assume, a radical emission reduction 90% This won’t solve the problems ppm

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Gt/yr But a radical emission reduction can solve the problems! At this time, the CO2 level stops rising ! 2 Gt net seque- stration ppm if it is combined with biochar sequestration !

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES A combination of –EMISSION REDUCTION and –CARBON SEQUESTRATION with char may solve the climate problems However, this would be an effort that would dwarf the Chinese wall, the pyramides and the first and second world war – together

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Charcoal (biochar) addition to soils enhance soil metabolism and quality

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Oxisol (normal rain forest soil) Terra Preta (anthrosol: charcoal enriched oxisol) FG

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Is extensive charring a threat?

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Yes, It is not feasible to make enough char to counteract current annual emissions of 8 Gt per year 1.Just trying to do this would give carte blanche to further emissions 2.Cutting the feedstock for that would certainly be a threat to global plant (and animal) life if it is not understood that:

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Therefore, the charring process (pyrolysis) must be regulated –with rules for emission reductions –and ethical principles for biomass aquisition (e.g. only biomass that otherwise would decay) Here is an urgent need for supranational actions!

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Is there enough biomass for 2Gt? Global cereal production: 2 Gt –Straw: 2 Gt  0.5 Gt char World wood fuel, 1.7 Gt  pyrolysis burning –0.42 Gt char –paper: 0.3 Gt char Improved household burning by the poor (Anila pyrolysing stove) –0.4 Gt char Changed forestry and agricultural practice (5%) –0.6 Gt Total: 2.2 Gt char

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Tax and permit fund FG $ P ayment P ermission E mission The PPE Model (currently used) The economist solution: Climate problems from approved carbon dioxide!

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES /C(H 2 O)/ n Carbon sequestration fund $ FG S equestration V alidation Payment The SVP model Another solution: Climate problems reduced by payment for sequestration! Alleviating: Atmospheric CO 2 Unemployment Economy, if combined with emission tax Global economic imbalance

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES  Receives tax for emissions  Receives funds for emission permits  Pays for the sequestration service  Guard obedience to rules (disobedience = no payment) The need for supranational initiatives: An international carbon sequestration fund Carbon sequestration fund

Folke Günther M Sc, Systems Ecology, Lars Hylander Assistant professor DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Thank you!