Here is an article that just came across the ECOLOG listserv on biochar, and it made me think of one of the things that my lab and Mark Bush's lab (and a ton of other labs) are working on in the Amazon, and that is past human modification of soils. Terra Preta is similar to what this new CDM is proposing. I think we would be in a position to leverage our research if we thought this was viable on a reasonable scale for agriculture in Madre de Dios.
Just as a primer, biochar is basically charcoal, and charcoal is incredibly stable in soils. You put it in and it stays there for 1000s of years. So, if you can make biochar without emitting too much CO2, you can put it into a long term soil compartment and then sell the offset. More than that, you can still do agriculture on top of the land. So, for the Malinowski Corridor, this might be another arrow to put in our quiver.
> Dear Climate Solution Thinkers:
> BREAKING NEWS!
>
> Biochar, the carbon-negative soil-improving energy biproduct, has made an
> incredible series of breakthroughs at the UN Climate Change Conference in
> Poznan, Poland.
>
> The International Biochar Initiative, www.biochar-international.org,
> announced today that Biochar is now being examined by the UNFCCC (United
> Nations Council on Climate Change) for status as part of the CDM (Clean
> Development Mechanism.)
>
> It's verifiable, it produces clean energy, it improves soils, it reverses
> desertification, it improves water quality, it could drive millions out of
> poverty, and it may be one of humanity's single greatest tools for
> mitigating and adapting to climate change.
>
> Read more about "it" on our website: www.GlobalClimateSolutions.org
>
> Respectfully,
> Ryan D. Hottle
