Global Warming Mitigation Through Carbon Sequestrations in the Central Western Ghats

Ramachandra, TV and Bharath, S (2019) Global Warming Mitigation Through Carbon Sequestrations in the Central Western Ghats. In: Remote Sensing in Earth Systems Sciences, 2 (1). pp. 39-63.

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Abstract

Global warming with the escalation in greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint (400Â ppm from 280Â ppm CO2 emissions of the pre-industrial era) and consequent changes in the climate have been affecting the livelihood of people with the erosion of ecosystem productivity. The anthropogenic activities such as power generation (burning of fossil fuels), agriculture (livestock, farming, rice cultivation and burning of crop residues), polluting water bodies, and industry and urban activities (transport, mismanagement of solid, liquid waste, etc.) have risen substantially CO2 concentrations to 72 among GHGs. Emissions and sequestration of carbon need to be in balance to sustain ecosystem functions and maintain the environmental conditions. Forests are the major carbon sinks to mitigate global warming. The current research focusses on the carbon budgeting through quantification of emissions and sinks in the Uttara Kannada district, central Western Ghats, Karnataka. This would help in evolving appropriate mitigation strategies towards sustainable management of forests. The study reveals that total carbon stored in vegetation and soils are 56,911.79Â Gg and 59,693.44Â Gg, respectively. The annual carbon increment in forests is about 975.81Â Gg. Carbon uptake by the natural forest is about 2416.69Â Gg/year and by the forest plantations is 963.28Â Gg/year amounting to the total of 3379.97Â Gg/year. Sector-wise carbon emissions are 87.70Â Gg/year (livestock), 101.57Â Gg/year (paddy cultivation), 77.20Â Gg/year (fuel wood consumption), and 437.87Â Gg/year (vehicular transport), respectively. The analysis highlights that forest ecosystems in Uttara Kannada are playing a significant role in the mitigation of regional as well as global carbon emissions. Hence, the premium should be on conservation of the remaining native forests, which are vital for the water security (perennial streams) and food security (sustenance of biodiversity) and mitigation of global warming through carbon sequestration. Sustainable management ecosystem practices involving local stakeholders will further enhance the ability of forests to sequester atmospheric carbon apart from other ecosystem services, such as hydrological services and improvements in soil and water quality.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Remote Sensing in Earth Systems Sciences
Publisher:	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Keywords:	carbon dioxide; carbon emission; carbon footprint; carbon sequestration; ecosystem function; global warming; greenhouse gas; human activity, India; Karnataka; Uttara Kannada; Western Ghats
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences > Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP)
Date Deposited:	30 Nov 2022 08:52
Last Modified:	30 Nov 2022 08:52
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/78368

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