WAWG
Regardless of whether or not carbon pollution is the actual crisis some make it out to be, it is a topic that is not disappearing from headlines anytime soon. To the right is graph of greenhouse gas (ghg) pollution sources in Washington state. As the chart shows, 6 percent of our state’s ghg emissions are attributed to agriculture, but that is not a complete picture of ag’s carbon footprint.
Before you convert the tractor to run on fry oil, it is important to remember that pollution is concentrating on only a snapshot of carbon’s life cycle. Let’s take a quick trip back to biology class for a second. Wheat plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere, use it through photosynthesis, releasing oxygen (O2) and locking carbon in plant material. When the plants decompose, carbon is stored in the soil. The total carbon sequestration and fossil fuel offset by U.S. cropland is estimated to be 133 percent of the total emissions of greenhouse gases by agriculture and forestry activities.[1]
The legislature has offered tax preferences for “eco-friendly” cars. They have spent millions of taxpayer dollars building “green” schools and state buildings[2] offering savings that don’t come close to the additional costs.[3] If additional carbon policies are adopted in Washington, the policies should not ignore the carbon benefits from agriculture.
[1] Kansas State University. 2000. “Carbon Sequestration: An Overview of the Issues.” Williams, Aller, Nelson Manhattan, KS. Department of Agricultural Economics Kansas State University citation of USDA. 1998. “USDA Global Change Fact Sheet.” Washington D.C: U.S. Department of Agriculture [2] In 2005, the Washington Legislature required new schools and state buildings receive “silver” level certification by the Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) system or meet the sustainable school design protocol. Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center. [3] In 2010, Coyote Ridge Corrections center, located in Connell, Wash., spent $880,000 on solar panels that would save the state an estimated $146,700 over their 25 year lifespan. Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center.