Atlantic Forest

Exercise 15: Global Warming, Conservation, and the Development of a Carbon Sequestration Project for the Atlantic Forest
Module 15: Pollution, Global Warming, and the Ozone Hole

Your Questions

1. Can carbon sequestration be a viable solution to the problem of forest degradation in the Atlantic Forest?
2. What is the best way to implement carbon sequestration creditation on a regional scale?

Background and Lecture Outline

Global Warming

What is global warming? a) how does it happen (greenhouse effect, industry and automotive carbon emissions), b) evidence that it is happening, c) principal greenhouse gases, d) the main sources of carbon, e) consequences of global warming (sea level rise, species distribution displacement, desertification, etc)

Carbon Sequestration

What is carbon sequestration: a) where is the carbon on the earth (atmosphere, biota), b) how does plants sequester carbon (via photosynthesis), c) vegetation in different successional stages sequester differently, d) pasturelands sequester more than climax, old-growth forests.

The Kyoto Protocol

What is the Kyoto protocol? a) the importance and setting of the meeting, b) the idea of a carbon market, c) main obstacles to the implementation of the protocol, d) U.S. objections to the protocol

Your Assignment

Your assignment is to create carbon sequestration proposals for some farms in the Pontal do Paranapanema region in western São Paulo state. Your project should be designed to achieve the greatest carbon price given the features of the farms that you are assigned. Projects will be done in small two-person groups and different groups can cooperate in order to lower the price of their carbon.

If you know some basic economic principles, it will come in handy in the development of the project. If you do not, don't worry, as they will become readily apparent as the activity progresses. It is likely that our project will mirror the reality that we have observed when we have attempted to implement the protocol.

Methodology

1. Task A—Characterization of Farms
   • Each group will be assigned a set of farms
   • Each group will determine the price of the farm based on a set of rules (size, proximity to roads, land cover type, availability of water, etc)
   • Using ArcView, each group will calculate the area of pasture, secondary forest, and primary forest
2. Task B—Calculate the amount of carbon that will be sequestered in your farms and your price for providing that service
   • Enter the data into the carbon sequestration spreadsheet.
   • The spreadsheet will calculate the amount and price of the carbon produced. Play around with the numbers to determine how to reduce the carbon price (tip: change the area of the farm relative to each of several different vegetation types).
3. Task C—Prepare and present a PowerPoint presentation of the project
   • Prepare and present a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating that your carbon sequestration project is a good investment (max. 15 min each group).
   • Economically projects that are less viable can be complemented by other environmentaly sound activities (such as ecoturism, for example). This will help to raise the value of your proposal.
4. Evaluation
   • Quality of the PowerPoint presentation. Creativity in finding solutions to less economically viable projects.
   • Participation in the discussion of other students’ presentations. Based on your results do you think that other groups' projects are viable or do you have have additional insights to help improve their proposals?

Objectives

1. Improved knowledge of the Kyoto Protocol proposal.
2. Introduce basic concepts of carbon sequestration and carbon cycling.
3. Introduce ideas of global warming and consequences of industry.
4. Understanding of the principles behind economically-based environmental conservation.

Key Skills

1. Introduction to ArcView, a GIS program that we will further explore the next two days during Exercise 16.
2. Facility using the area calculator tool in ArcView.
3. Familiarity with the development and presentation of an economically-based environmental conservation project.

Timetable

Total time — 6 hours

1. Morning
   • Instructions and introduction to ArcView (1 hr)
   • Characterization of Farms (1 hr)
   • Calculation of the amount of carbon that will be sequestered in your farms and your price for providing that service (2 hrs)
2. Afternoon
   • Prepare a PowerPoint presentation of the project (1 hr)
   • Presentation and discussion (1 hr)

Materials Needed

1. Computer lab
2. ArcView and PowerPoint installed on all computers
3. Carbon sequestration spreadsheet
4. Accurate and detailed maps of the Pontal do Paranapanema

Procedural Notes

1. Exercise is portable and occurs only in the lab, so it is not affected by inclement weather - unless power outages or surges require digital lab to be shutdown.