MSU research curbing greenhouse gases

When the World Bank announced Tuesday the launching of a $100 million BioCarbon Fund, it was validation of sorts for research at Montana State University.

By RON TSCHIDA Chronicle Staff Writer

Scientists and researchers here are helping develop the tools and technology to create a market for carbon emissions credits.

The World Bank fund will pay farmers in poor countries for farming and forestry practices that keep carbon in the ground, called carbon sequestration, according to a news release from the organization.

The idea is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere. And that, in turn, could slow down global climate change.

John Antle, an MSU agricultural economist involved in a $15 million, multi-university project, said MSU’s research is just one part of a global effort.

"It’s kind of the cumulative effect of this kind of activity that led to the World Bank idea," Antle said.

Deforestation and other land management practices are blamed for producing one-fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas buildup.

Agencies, including the World Bank, have been looking hard at reforestation as a way to create carbon "sinks."

"What this announcement really means is they’ve recognized that soil carbon is (also) something they should consider," Antle said.

Soil scientists at MSU are studying how changing farming practices could sequester carbon.

No-till farming, for example, in which new crops are seeded in the stubble of the preceding crop, is one area of research.

Wheat farmers in Montana who adopt the practice might sell carbon credits to industrial plants in the Midwest, as a global market for carbon emissions credits develops.

The World Bank estimates the nascent carbon market will triple this year, as companies prepare for the Kyoto Protocol to limit carbon pollution.

The Bush administration has rejected the Kyoto treaty, saying that mandatory emissions limits could harm the economy. Instead, the White House has suggested a voluntary plan to limit some greenhouse gases.

Ron Tschida is at [email protected]

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