News in brief: The United States government plans to allocate $300 million over eight years to measure greenhouse emissions and carbon capture in farming practices. It is part of a larger commitment to support climate-smart agriculture, expand income sources for producers, and address the goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by half within ten years.
The United States government is committing $300 million towards measuring greenhouse emissions in the next eight years, according to latest reports. This funding, through the Agriculture Department, will be used to finance data collection efforts and to determine the amount of carbon captured in some farming practices.
The project, using funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aims to help quantify the results of climate-smart agricultural methods. The Agriculture Department secretary Tom Vilsack, however, asserts that the investment is beyond just simply promoting climate smart agriculture. He opines that it goes on to expand income sources for small and mid-size producers.
Addressing issues connected with an increasingly warmer planet is a key focal point agenda for the department. It is in line with US President Joe Bidenâs target of reducing greenhouse emissions by half, within ten years.
The IRA, which he signed in 2022, provides $20 billion to boost existing agricultural conservation programs that encourages eco-friendly practices.
The department has also provided billions in additional funding to farming projects that reduce emissions. Such projects include capturing carbon dioxide, which is one of the main greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere and storing it as carbon in the soil. The agricultural sector currently accounts for around 10% of emissions in the United States.
However, the lack of data to determine effects of carbon storage in soil within given timeframes is a source of concern. Hence, the $300 million investment. It will establish a network to investigate carbon capture methods from soil across the country, create one for greenhouse gas emissions, and upgrade models for efficient measure of agricultural conservation programs. Data from the projects will be publicly available a year after collection.
