Climate influences the environment, natural resources, the economy, and other aspects of life in all parts of the world. Natural and human contributions to changes in climate may have substantial environmental, economic, and societal consequences.
Decision-makers, resource managers, and other interested individuals need reliable science-based information to make informed decisions regarding policy and actions. In order to understand climate change and its impacts, we need to understand some of the range and complexity of the climate system itself.
Climate Change Activities, Tools and Resources
COMET-FARM™ is a whole farm and ranch carbon and greenhouse gas accounting system. The tool guides you through describing your farm and ranch management practices including alternative future management scenarios. Once complete, a report is generated comparing the carbon changes and greenhouse gas emissions between your current management practices and future scenarios.
The Rapid Carbon Assessment (RaCA) is the most extensive database on soil carbon in the world. Three years ago, NRCS embarked on the largest concentrated soil sampling effort in the history of soil survey to build the most extensive database on soil organic and inorganic carbon in the world.
The GHG and Carbon Sequestration Ranking Toolis a qualitative ranking of NRCS Conservation Practice Standards which can be effectively applied to the Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Sequestration Resource Concern.
Cover Crop Termination Guidelines provide information on termination of cover crops on non-irrigated cropland. They were created by NRCS, Risk Management Agency (RMA), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and other public and private stakeholders to address concerns about cover crops’ impact on crop insurance.
Conservation Innovation Grants, offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, specifically addressed greenhouse gas mitigation and carbon sequestration opportunities in fiscal 2011. The information includes the states in which the project will be carried out, the total amount of NRCS funding provided, project title, and a brief project description.
