Subject: Re: 3 questions (fwd)

From: Victor Guest <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 10:28:48 WST

From: Jody Butterfield <[email-masked]>
To: Recipients of CHRM-GENERAL <[email-masked]>

Kate,

I thought I'd better respond to your third question:

-----you wrote-------
3) Finally, some months back someone mentioned research or a
>project the Center was involved in that had to do with carbon banking (
I think that is what it was called).  What is this, what is the Center
>involvement and what is the potential or "big picture" for carbon 
banking?

We have been developing a research project involving "carbon sequestration"
over the last year, but are still seeking the funding for it. What we are
attempting to do is to determine how much carbon we can sequester in
grassland soils that are "maintained" by grazing/herding animals, compared
to those that are maintained by grazing/herding animals and fire.

Fire obviously puts much of the carbon into the atmosphere. Some scientists
argue that this is not a "net release" of carbon because after grasslands
are burned, plants regrow and once again soak up carbon--the same amount 
as they released when burned.

We suspect this isn't the case, because over time the repeated use of fire
tends to lead to a loss of biodiversity, a reduction in litter and an
increase in bare soil (in brittle environments). This affects the amount 
of biomass produced, and thus the amount of carbon that can be sequestered.

Hope this answers your question.

--Jody
=20

---

From: Victor Guest <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 10:21:47 WST

Kate-
I'll try to answer what I can of your three questions.
1) The Natural Step is a Swedish born environmental movement. It was started
by a swedish oncologist who was fed up with the state of the conversation
regarding environmetal pollutants, etc. He wrote a paper that he circulated to
other doctors and scientists and asked for their contributions. Of course they
had alot to say. He revised and recirculated. After twenty-one iterations of
this process he arrived at four general "systems conditions," as follows:
1) Nature cannot withstand a systematic buildup of dispersed matter mined from
the earth's crust (e.g. minerals, oils, etc.).
2) Nature cannot withstand a systematic buildup of persistent compounds made
by humans (e.g. PCB's).
3) Nature cannot take a systematic deterioration of its capacity for renewal
(e.g. harvesting fish faster than they can replenish, converting fertile land
to desert, etc.).
4) Therefore, if we want life to continue, we must a) be efficient in our use
of resources and b) promote economic justice.

Allan attended a Natural Step workshop and wrote about it and how to integrate
it into holistic management in the Fall/October 1996 Issue of the Quarterly,
Number 53.

2) I think carbon trading is the process whereby large industries in developed
countries buy "pollution rights" from less developed countries. The right to
put carbon into the atmosphere is "traded."  I don't feel totally confident in
this answer so I would like to be corrected by a more knowledgeable source.

3) With the same level of certainty I think carbon banking is the process of
carbon being stored in nature, for example in wetlands or a forest floor. 

I wouldn't base your PhD dissertation on the feeble answers I gave to 2 and 3.
Seek a second opinion. 
I can loan you a hefty file I have on the Natural Step when you're here on
Monday, but I thought others may be interested, so I responded here. I can
also tell you my less printable opinions about it in private communication.
Hope you're well.
Christopher Peck
Santa Fe, NM

---

From: Darrienne <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 10:33:31 -0200

Can you please remove me from the mailing list as Darrienne the person who was
interested in this info is no longer at this Email address.

Thank You Kindly
Mark Briggs