ABSTRACT
U nder the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions to below their 1990 emission levels over the period 2008-12 . To fulfil their commitment, some countries, including the U.S., have proposed the inclusion of three broad land management activities pursuant to A rticle 3.4 of the Protocol, including forest, cropland and grazing land m anagem ent.1 These activities can reduce atmospheric carbon stock by sequestering, or removing, carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in soil or biomass. For land-rich countries like the U.S., Canada, and Russia, carbon sequestration by these activities could potentially account for their significant emission reductions. For example, estimates indicate that the total carbon sequestration potential of U.S. cropland through improved management is 7 5 -2 0 8 M M TC/year (Lai et al). Soil sinks, combined with forest sinks, could potentially
be used by the U.S. to m eet half of its emission reduction commitment (U SD O S). H ow ever, skepticism remains among environmental groups who argue that “While preventing the emission of carbon dioxide is perm anent, sequestering carbon pollution is a cheap, short-term fix that fails to address a long-term problem” (W W F).
