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Increase Carbon Capture

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important GHG in the Earth’s atmosphere. Global atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 409.8 ± 0.1 parts per million (ppm) in 2019 and have been increasing at an average rate of 2.3 ppm per year since 2009. Approximately two-thirds of the total increase in atmospheric CO2 is derived from fossil fuel combustion. The other one-third is the result of land-use change - conversion of natural vegetation to managed land and a small amount from the use of lime on agricultural soils. In Ireland in 2022 agricultural CO2 accounted for 0.751 MTCO2e or 3.3% of agricultural GHG emissions  (EPA, 2024). Within the Land-use, Land-use change and Forestry Sector agricultural grasslands were a source of 2.48 MTCO­­2e and forestry was a sink of 2.44 MTCO2e (EPA, 2024).

This pillar focuses on mitigation measures to reduce absolute emissions and the refinement of emission factors to reduce uncertainty and for inclusion in the national inventory.

Priorities

  • Establish baseline carbon emission/sequestration fluxes from agricultural soils
  • Develop models or systems that allow carbon sequestration to be measured/estimated at a field/farm level across the Ireland.
  • Establish baseline carbon emission/sequestration fluxes from both blanket and raised peat soils.
  • Evaluating the impact of forestry and forestry management on soil carbon fluxes.
  • Evaluating the impact of hedgerow and hedgerow management on soil carbon fluxes
  • Evaluating the influence of water table management on peat soils on soil carbon emissions
  • Improve mapping of soil types, land management, land-use, peat soil areas and improve activity data for soil emissions and sequestration.
  • Investigate and develop tools for AgNav to support the inclusion of carbon sequestration and carbon emission from soils to support carbon farming.

Develop and manage crops and land in new ways to capture and minimise release of carbon so that land will become an overall carbon sink

Immediate actions

  • The generation of Irish specific emission factors related to soil type, land use and management
  • Increased afforestation and the impact of afforestation on soil carbon fluxes
  • Evaluate the influence of hedgerow and hedgerow management on soil carbon fluxes
  • Increasing the use of cover crops in tillage
  • Evaluate the influence of water table management/rewetting of organic soils on soil carbon emissions

Current Research Projects

Current Climate Centre research projects focusing on Increasing Carbon Capture

On this episode of the Signpost Series which took place on Friday, 31 May 2024, host Eddie Burgess, Teagasc ACP was joined by David Dolan, Nuffield Scholar and farmer to discuss net zero carbon emissions: challenges and opportunities for farmers and co-ops. A questions and answers session took place at the end of the webinar which was facilitated by Dr Tom O'Dwyer, Head of Signpost Programme, Teagasc.

Read about National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO) which will include 28 Eddy Covariance Flux Towers located on benchmark sites including agricultural grasslands, mineral soils and peatlands.

Measuring Soil Carbon and Above Ground Carbon Stocks on Signpost Farms

NASCO and the Signpost Programme Programme are coherently combining knowledge, infrastructures and tools to establish Irish specific emission factors for soil carbon sequestration for inclusion in Ireland’s National Inventory. Read about How Much Soil Carbon is Stored Under the Signpost Farms from Dr Giulia Bondi.

At the Signpost General Assembly in November 2024, Dr Stuart Green of Teagasc presented on Monitoring, Reporting, & Verifying Above Ground Carbon Stocks on the Signpost Farms.

Paper: Biodiversity and Stored Carbon (PDF)