The Role of Forests in Carbon Capture and Climate Change (Environmental Science, Engineering and Technology)

Widespread concern about global climate change has led to agreements to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and, under certain circumstances, to count additional carbon absorbed in soils and vegetation as part of the emissions reductions. Forests are a significant part of the global carbon cycle. However, little information exists on the processes and diverse rates of soil carbon change. How to account for changes in forest carbon has been contentious. Land use changes - especially afforestation and deforestation - can have major impacts on carbon storage. In the 110th Congress, several proposals have been introduced that would either mandate or authorise a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This book explains the role of forests in carbon capture and the steps being taken by Congress to attempt to slow down the effects of climate change caused by the previously under-regulated emissions of carbon dioxide. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.