Loss of Carbon Sequestration from
Land Use Change in Connecticut
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
2PM - 3PM EDT
Greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories estimate levels of emissions which are scientifically
 understood
as the human-induced basis for climate change. GHG inventories ideally resemble balance sheets indicating both emissions sources and carbon "sinks" that remove atmospheric CO2 via long-term carbon storage in vegetation cover, soils, and forests. Connecticut has
seen a loss of its beneficial carbon sinks due to land converted from forested and vegetated landscape to areas of sprawling regional development, to the detriment of state efforts to combat climate change. To date, carbon sinks have been omitted from GHG
inventories due to insufficient accounting methods, leading policy-makers to undervalue Connecticut's forests and open spaces as agents of regional climate stabilization. Guest lecturer Linda Powers Tomasso explored the problem of carbon sink accounting using
CLEAR's twenty-five years of land use data. In this webinar, Linda will walk us through her research findings, explaining land cover change and its relation to the loss of carbon storage and sequestration which help keep
emissions rises in check. Her accounting methods propose a new use for CLEAR land cover data, with surprisingly robust results, leaving us with the question:
should forest conservation garner greater attention and public funding as a cost effective mitigator against climate change? CLEAR's Emily Wilson will then do a live demonstration
showing viewers how to access the study maps and information via the
CT ECO website, a partnership of CT DEEP and CLEAR.
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