Australia joins US to bury carbon in soil
the Australian
11/17/06
AUSTRALIAN and US scientists are examining the potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon in soil.
Researchers believe agricultural land in both countries could be used as large "carbon sinks".

This would allow the countries to claim a credit for the carbon put in the soil to count against emissions.

But scientists have to work on tools to measure the amount of carbon stored. They also need to determine how much carbon different soils can absorb before it starts to leak. The project, announced in Kenya by Environment Minister Ian Campbell and US Under-Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, will bring together Australian and US researchers to improve conservation practices on farms.

The project, which is in a two-month planning phase, could receive $100,000 in federal funding.

Australian Farm Institute executive director Mick Keogh said the bulk of Australian farms may not operate effectively as carbon sinks, due to the age of the soils.

Farmers had already widely embraced conservation practices such as minimum tillage, which sows seed with little soil disturbance. "Soil carbon is very slow to build up under Australian conditions but very easy to lose," Mr Keogh said.

Labor environment spokesman Anthony Albanese welcomed the announcement. "But we need a comprehensive Pacific climate change strategy, not an ad hoc one, and without economic mechanisms such as emissions trading we will not get the long-term investment and deployment of carbon storage technology," Mr Albanese said.