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Multistrata Agroforestry

Food

Multistrata agroforestry blends taller trees and one or more layers of crops. It achieves high rates of carbon sequestration, similar to forests, while producing food.

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Rank and results by 2050 #28

Multistrata Agroforestry

Reduced CO2: 9 gigatons
Net cost (Billions US$): $26.76
Net operational savings: $709.75 billion
What do these numbers mean?

TOTAL CO2-EQ REDUCTION (GT)

Total CO2-equivalent reduction in atmospheric greenhouse gases by 2050 (gigatons)

NET COST (billions US $)

Net cost to implement

SAVINGS (billions US $)

Net savings by 2050

Impact:

Multistrata agroforestry can be integrated into some existing agricultural systems; others can be converted or restored to it. If adopted on another 46 million acres by 2050, from 247 million acres currently, 9.3 gigatons of carbon dioxide could be sequestered. Average sequestration rate of 2.8 tons of carbon per acre per year is strong, as is financial return: $710 billion in net profit by 2050, on a $27 billion investment.

Multistrata Agroforestry

Food

Multistrata agroforestry blends taller trees and one or more layers of crops. It achieves high rates of carbon sequestration, similar to forests, while producing food.

Multistrata agroforestry takes its cues from the defining feature of forests: layers. Blending an overstory of taller trees and an understory of one or more layers of crops, multistrata agroforestry maximizes both horizontal and vertical space. The blend of plants varies by region and culture, but the spectrum includes macadamia and coconut, black pepper and cardamom, pineapple and banana, shade-grown coffee and cacao, as well as rubber and timber. Home gardens are one particular approach.

By mimicking forests, multistrata systems can:

prevent erosion and flooding,
recharge groundwater,
restore degraded land and soils,
support biodiversity by providing habitat and corridors between fragmented ecosystems, and
absorb and store carbon.

An acre of multistrata agroforestry can achieve rates of carbon sequestration comparable to those of afforestation and forest restoration, with the added benefit of producing food.

Multistrata systems are well suited to steep slopes and degraded croplands, and they can relieve pressures from natural forests by providing firewood. Farmers gain income and resilience from multiple crops growing on unique timelines. Yet, costs to establish a complex system can be high, and tending it can be more labor intensive. Incentives can help farmers overcome financial barriers and realize the multilayered benefits of multistrata agroforestry.

Vs

Bioplastic

Materials

Ninety percent of plastics could be derived from plants instead of fossil fuels. Bioplastics can be biodegradable and often have lower emissions.

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Rank and results by 2050 #47

Bioplastic

Reduced CO2: 4 gigatons
Net cost (Billions US$): $19.15
What do these numbers mean?

TOTAL CO2-EQ REDUCTION (GT)

Total CO2-equivalent reduction in atmospheric greenhouse gases by 2050 (gigatons)

NET COST (billions US $)

Net cost to implement

SAVINGS (billions US $)

Net savings by 2050

Impact:

We estimate the total production of plastics to grow from 311 million tons in 2014 to at least 792 million tons by 2050. This is conservative, with other sources estimating over 1 billion tons if trends continue. We model the aggressive growth of bioplastics to capture 49 percent of the market by 2050, avoiding 4.3 gigatons of emissions. While technical potential is even higher, this solution is constrained by limited biomass feedstock available without additional land conversion. The cost to produce bioplastics in this scenario is $19 billion over thirty years. While the financial costs are currently higher for producers, they are dropping quickly.

Bioplastic

Materials

Ninety percent of plastics could be derived from plants instead of fossil fuels. Bioplastics can be biodegradable and often have lower emissions.

Globally, we produce roughly 310 million tons of plastic each year. Almost all of it is petro-plastic, made from fossil fuels. Experts, however, estimate that 90 percent of current plastics could be derived from plants instead. Bio-based plastics come from the earth, and those that are biodegradable can return to it—often with lower carbon emissions.

What affords plastics their malleability are chainlike polymers, comprised of many atoms or molecules bound to one another. Cellulose, the most abundant organic material on earth, is a polymer in the cell walls of plants. Chitin is another abundant polymer, found in the shells and exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. Potatoes, sugarcane, tree bark, algae, and shrimp all contain natural polymers that can be converted to plastic.

Most bioplastics are used in packaging, but they are finding their way into everything from textiles to pharmaceuticals to electronics. Research continues to push the bounds of feedstocks, formulations, and applications. Bioplastics can sequester carbon, especially when made from waste biomass. The big challenge for bioplastics is separation from other waste and appropriate processing. Otherwise, they do not fulfill their promise as more sustainable materials.

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