Opposition carbon plan questioned

Biochar advocate Bob Wilson on his property 30km east of Lancelin. PHOTO: DANELLA BEVIS

Tony Abbott's promise to sequester 85 million tonnes of carbon by 2020 on farmland have come under fire from academics and the carbon-offsetting industry for being nothing but "smoke and mirrors".

Under the Opposition leader's long awaited climate change policy farmers could be set to cash in on carbon, with plans to sequester 10 million tonnes within the first year.

At a price of $8 to $10 a tonne, growers could see $100 million from a government-administered fund by 2012. But while it sounds promising, University of Melbourne climate change expert Richard Eckard warns that the potential of the scheme may exceed any actual benefits.

The problem is that there is not enough real science behind carbon sequestration to enable effective measurement of the carbon locked up in soils.

And, unlike the Government's climate change plans, Mr Abbott's policy has omitted funding to conduct further research. Not only that, but the sequestration of carbon in Australia's soils won't be recognised by international rules such as the Kyoto protocol, meaning it would do little to help the nation meet international obligations to reduce emissions.

By relying on changing farming practices such as no-tillage and reduced fertiliser use, Dr Eckard said Mr Abbott's plan may be difficult to achieve.

"Everybody should be doing these things anyway but the question is can it save the planet?"

"The cropping industry might be able to make a difference but for the grazing industry the options are limited."

While he accepts that the Government's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) would cost producers more in diesel and electricity costs, Dr Eckard said they could also expect income from carbon credits.

Ultimately, he said, Mr Abbott's plan needed more detail on how it will deliver outcomes to farmers.

As Mr Abbott pushes for farmers to store up to 85 million tonnes of carbon a year in their soils by 2020, research on biochar is gathering momentum. A type of charcoal produced by heating organic materials such as wood and stubble, biochar has been used for hundreds of years in Japanese agriculture.

Potentially stable for thousands of years, biochar can be anywhere between 30 and 80 per cent carbon.

Trials in WA are showing early indications that when applied to soils, biochar could allow a greater uptake of nutrients from less fertiliser while at the same time sequestering carbon.

More than 200 trials biochar trials are already being held nationwide but should Mr Abbott's scheme come to fruition, Australian agriculture could be bound for a massive transformation as growers cash in on carbon sequestration (see diagram).

Whether carbon sequestration is enacted as part of a climate change policy under Mr Abbott or Prime Minster Kevin Rudd,

Lancelin beef producer Bob Wilson believes it marks the start of an exciting era for farmers.

After promoting soil carbon for a number of years, Bob said the issue was finally on the agenda.

"Potentially this could be very exciting for agriculture," he said.

"There is immense potential and agricultural soils are the biggest potential sink we have control over."

However, for Peter Balsarini, executive officer of carbon-offsetting company Carbon Conscious, the Opposition's climate change policy will hurt growers hoping to capitalise on emissions trading.

He said the policy was "incredibly problematic" and left too many questions that needed to be answered.

"Certainly from our perspective the Labor policy is better,' he said.

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