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COST-EFFECTIVE CARBON Colin Price School of the Environment and Natural Resources Bangor University . SOME PRICES FOR CARBON: Note: these prices were compiled from a wide range of sources in 1993, and can probably be more or less doubled now. CO 2. CO 2. CO 2. CO 2.
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COST-EFFECTIVE CARBON Colin Price School of the Environment and Natural ResourcesBangor University
SOME PRICES FOR CARBON: Note: these prices were compiled from a wide range of sources in 1993, and can probably be more or less doubled now.
CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2
[Difference in mean annual net cost] [Difference in mean carbon stock]
In an investment context, the break-even price of carbon fixing is given by:
Sitka spruce YC 12: 80 tonnes for nothing! Sitka spruce YC 12: commercial versus “unmanaged” [Mean annual net cost] = £200 ÷ [Difference of mean carbon] ?250 – 80 tonnes = £1.17 per tonne per year
Somewhat longer rotations: • give greater mean growing stock storage • produce a greater proportion of slow-decaying products • entail only slightly reduced net annual income, so … • represent cheap extra carbon
Single-tree continuous cover forestry: worst case(harvesting penalty = £5 / m3 ; dysgenic effect = –20%) [Mean net cost per year = £230] ÷ (65 – 53) tonnes = £19 per tonne per year
The material of the moment… Painted concrete Photo: University of Wales
In an investment context, the break-even price of carbon fixing is given by:
THREE WAYS OF USING TREES TO REDUCE NET CARBON EMISSIONS Discount rate Fix fossil fuel emissions, then use the product £165 £87 as biomass fuel
THREE WAYS OF USING TREES TO REDUCE NET CARBON EMISSIONS Discount rate Fix fossil fuel emissions, then use the product £330 £174 as biomass fuel
CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2
Price of flux approach: grow-and-utilise-structurally Note: add 10% to allow for carbon emissions in harvesting Discount rate Without steel With steel replacement replacement 6% £172 £34 3.5% £85 £17 2% £31 £6.5 1% FREE! FREE!
Even at a 6% discount rate: Douglas fir yield class 20 cost of carbon = £25 / tonne without steel replacement; or £5 / tonne with steel replacement