Black Carbon and Agricultural Burning in Russia

1. Reducing Black Carbon and
Agricultural Burning:
Benefitting Health, Climate and Agriculture
Pam Pearson
International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI)
August 19, 2011

2. Summary
• Black carbon’s impact on the Arctic – and the
Arctic’s impact on global climate change
• Why open burning in Russia is so important
to the Arctic
• Planned programs and funding
• Discussion: where should programs focus?
2

3. Arctic Sea Ice Extent: 2007 “Moved the Mean”

5. Backdrop
• Arctic is warming over twice as fast as the rest of the globe
• Economic emphasis on opening region to industry, but enormous
negative consequences:
– Highly unpredictable weather patterns: drought followed by flooding followed
by…?
– More intense weather patterns (extreme cold/heat or dry/wet)
– Sea level rise: Arctic Council estimates at least 1 meter by 2100, possibly more –
Greenland melt alone would lead to 7 meter rise is sea level
– Changes in Arctic increase warming globally (loss of polar reflection of sunlight,
release of very large stores of greenhouse gas methane in permafrost)
• Need to slow and eventually stop these changes to maintain stable
environment
5

6. Black Carbon’s Importance in the
Arctic
Quinn, Impact of Short-Lived Pollutants on Arctic Climate, presented at
AMAP, Oslo, September 15 2008 6

7. BC on Snow/Ice
Causes Warming and Melting
• Forcing greatest in spring, during
melt season.
• Melting increases BC
concentration → positive
feedback.
• During some spring months, BC-
snow forcing exceeds 10 W m2
(huge in climate terms where 1 W
m2 is considered large)
BC and Climate Change at Flanner, 2009
the Third pole | Slide 7

8. So Why Are Agriculture, Grass, Forest Etc Fires
In Russia So Important?

9. Transport of fire emissions into
the European Arctic

10. Extreme pollution
Picture courtesy: Ann-Christine Engvall

11. Dramatic effects on pollution levels
At Zeppelin, new records set for practically all measured compounds
Even for ozone and aerosol optical depth, which are both measured since 18 years
Black Carbon
(soot) – a light
absorbing
aerosol
Stohl et al., ACP, 2007

12. Arctic Council Special Working Group: Emissions of BC
Lamarque et al., ACP, 2010
Domestic Energy + Transport Agricultural Grass + Forest
Industrial + Waste Fires Fires

13. Some Russian government sources
report intentional agricultural fires as
the source of 98% of forest, grass and
peat fires.

14. Growing Interest Internationally
• Arctic Council
• United Nations: UN Environment
Programme (UNEP), UNFCCC (climate
change negotiations)
• Convention on Long-range Transboudnary
Air Pollution (CLRTAP), Geneva
• Targeted Financing (methane, cookstoves)

15. UNEP 2011 Study: Temperature Response to Decreases in
Black Carbon and Methane
Reduced Arctic warming by over 0.7 oC by 2040 compared to the reference scenario,
with measures taken 2010-2030. Mitigating ~2/3 of projected 1.2 degrees warming

16. Arctic Council
• Eight member nations (Canada, Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden,
U.S.)
• Official and ad hoc observers: EC, U.K.,
Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France, Spain,
China, South Korea
• “SLCF” (Short-lived Climate Forcer) Task Force,
SLCF Demonstration Project group and SLCF
research group

17. Current Efforts
• USDA funding for research and conferences
• NGO grants for forest area pilot projects:
$100,000 2011 season, $200,000 2012 season
• Arctic Council: several million in potential
pipeline
• NGOs: Bellona Russia
17

18. Reducing Ag Burning Largely “No regrets”
• Health impacts
• Loss of life and property
• Least expensive among BC measures (diesel
retrofits $1500/car, $5-6000/truck)
• More cost-effective for farmers to use other
methods to deal with stubble (harvest,
fertilizer), HOWEVER capital investment
needed and significant barrier

19. Future Efforts:
• Where methods best in Russian agricultural
environment (no-till, gather straw for fuel,
etc)?
• What support needed in Russian context:
– Micro-financing for new equipment?
– Seminars?
– Using agricultural organizations, extension
service?
– Demonstration farms?
– Working Group on Burning: Spring 2012 19

20. For more information and additional
presentations:
www.amap.no
www.unep.int
www.fires-and-the-arctic.org
www.catf.us
www.iccinet.org