Arkansas Tops States for Greatest Greenhouse Gas Reduction

The Climate Action Reserve, a national offsets program working to ensure integrity, transparency and financial value in the U.S. carbon market issued a report Aug. 24 highlighting the top five states in the nation for their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Arkansas was on the top of that list, followed by California, New York, Texas and Alabama.

The University of Arkansas Climate Action Plan, which was filed with the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in September 2009, calls for the university to reduce net overall greenhouse gas emissions by 10,000 metric tons per year through sequestration projects like the ones administered by the Climate Action Reserve.

"The university will lease or purchase commercial forest lands and manage those lands for optimal carbon storage by using long harvest rotations, setting aside areas for biodiversity conservation, and maintaining old growth characteristics," said Nick Brown, the campus sustainability executive. "The Climate Action Reserve registers sequestration credits on qualifying lands, and monitors and verifies that management on accredited forests meet sequestration standards."

"The sequestration credits earned by forest management could be sold or used to reduce the university's greenhouse gas emissions inventory," Brown said.