Carbon Footprint of Karnataka: Accounting of Sources and Sinks
55
to improve soil carbon pool [25]. The C pool in the topsoil is about 2011 PgC
[33] accounting to 4.1 times of the biotic pool, and three times of the carbon in
the atmosphere. Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the top 50 cm soil depth in India is
estimated to be about 92.1 tons per ha in littoral swamp and 37.5 tons per hectare in
tropical dry deciduous forests [6]. The total SOC in Indian forests accounts to 4.13
PgC (top 50 cm soil depth) and 6.81 PgC (top 1 m), which highlights the need for
protection of soil with the appropriate conservation strategies to mitigate greenhouse
gas emissions and associated climate changes.
Burning of fossil fuel [30], escalated industrial activities [29], higher deforestation
[4], and land degradation [41] highlight the extent of anthropogenic-induced global
warming. This unrestrained increase in global atmospheric carbon since the dawn
of industrial revolution and implications changes in the climate on water and food
security has driven the attention of policy-makers across the globe to focus on the
earth’s carbon stocks and flows. Large-scale land-use land cover changes (LULC)
altering the integrity of forests, soil and aquatic ecosystems with the associated
emissions have been contributing toward higher greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint.
LULC changes have not only eroded the sequestration capability directly but also
disturbed the amount of vegetation residues (organic matter) returned to the soil
[36, 49]. LULC changes have been posing a greater threat by altering their potential
of sequestration, escalating vegetation die-off, and increasing instances of wildfire [13] and have contributed to about one-third of all anthropogenic carbon [19].
LULC change-induced deforestation resulting in 90% of net carbon emission across
the globe and acting as a source of 20% annual greenhouse gas emissions into the
atmosphere [33]. This has prioritized the need for understanding of LULC changes
with the associated decline of biomass and carbon storage for framing international
policy strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the abrupt LULC
changes. LULC changes and their impacts vary across the regions, which necessitates the regional-specific management [42] in contrast to the global policy and
regulation. Agriculture, energy production, industrial activities, waste mismanagement, and transportation are the major carbon-emitting sectors to be accounted for
carbon budgeting as mismanagement in these sectors have contributed to a higher
quantum of greenhouse gas emissions [1, 2, 58, 63].
The systematic quantification of carbon stock with an assessment of GHG emissions from various sectors would aid in framing the land-use policies and curb the
irrational carbon emission from abrupt LULC changes. The global CO 2 emission is
quantified as 36,153 million tons, with countries such as China (27%), USA (15%),
European Union (10%), and India (7%) accounts 58% of the total emissions [26]. The
top 15 countries contribute 26,125 million tons and the rest of the world as 10,028
million tons. The top 15 countries contribute 72% of CO 2 emissions and 28% by the
rest (of 180 countries). China alone accounts to produce on its own 28% of CO 2 emissions (9.8 billion tons), 18.8% of global methane emissions (1.7 billion tons CO 2 e),
and 18.4% of N 2 O emissions (545 million tons CO 2 e). Large-scale LULC changes
leading to deforestation account for 8% of the global carbon emissions (4.9 billion
tons per year in the tropical forests). This has been responsible for dynamics in carbon
stocks with the lowered capability of carbon sequestration, which has prompted to
55
to improve soil carbon pool [25]. The C pool in the topsoil is about 2011 PgC
[33] accounting to 4.1 times of the biotic pool, and three times of the carbon in
the atmosphere. Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the top 50 cm soil depth in India is
estimated to be about 92.1 tons per ha in littoral swamp and 37.5 tons per hectare in
tropical dry deciduous forests [6]. The total SOC in Indian forests accounts to 4.13
PgC (top 50 cm soil depth) and 6.81 PgC (top 1 m), which highlights the need for
protection of soil with the appropriate conservation strategies to mitigate greenhouse
gas emissions and associated climate changes.
Burning of fossil fuel [30], escalated industrial activities [29], higher deforestation
[4], and land degradation [41] highlight the extent of anthropogenic-induced global
warming. This unrestrained increase in global atmospheric carbon since the dawn
of industrial revolution and implications changes in the climate on water and food
security has driven the attention of policy-makers across the globe to focus on the
earth’s carbon stocks and flows. Large-scale land-use land cover changes (LULC)
altering the integrity of forests, soil and aquatic ecosystems with the associated
emissions have been contributing toward higher greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint.
LULC changes have not only eroded the sequestration capability directly but also
disturbed the amount of vegetation residues (organic matter) returned to the soil
[36, 49]. LULC changes have been posing a greater threat by altering their potential
of sequestration, escalating vegetation die-off, and increasing instances of wildfire [13] and have contributed to about one-third of all anthropogenic carbon [19].
LULC change-induced deforestation resulting in 90% of net carbon emission across
the globe and acting as a source of 20% annual greenhouse gas emissions into the
atmosphere [33]. This has prioritized the need for understanding of LULC changes
with the associated decline of biomass and carbon storage for framing international
policy strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the abrupt LULC
changes. LULC changes and their impacts vary across the regions, which necessitates the regional-specific management [42] in contrast to the global policy and
regulation. Agriculture, energy production, industrial activities, waste mismanagement, and transportation are the major carbon-emitting sectors to be accounted for
carbon budgeting as mismanagement in these sectors have contributed to a higher
quantum of greenhouse gas emissions [1, 2, 58, 63].
The systematic quantification of carbon stock with an assessment of GHG emissions from various sectors would aid in framing the land-use policies and curb the
irrational carbon emission from abrupt LULC changes. The global CO 2 emission is
quantified as 36,153 million tons, with countries such as China (27%), USA (15%),
European Union (10%), and India (7%) accounts 58% of the total emissions [26]. The
top 15 countries contribute 26,125 million tons and the rest of the world as 10,028
million tons. The top 15 countries contribute 72% of CO 2 emissions and 28% by the
rest (of 180 countries). China alone accounts to produce on its own 28% of CO 2 emissions (9.8 billion tons), 18.8% of global methane emissions (1.7 billion tons CO 2 e),
and 18.4% of N 2 O emissions (545 million tons CO 2 e). Large-scale LULC changes
leading to deforestation account for 8% of the global carbon emissions (4.9 billion
tons per year in the tropical forests). This has been responsible for dynamics in carbon
stocks with the lowered capability of carbon sequestration, which has prompted to