Absorb Carbon with Natural Landscapes and Regenerative Agriculture

With its abundance of trees, wetlands, farmland and plants, Appalachia is rich in carbon-absorbing natural resources. Investments in our natural infrastructure to support ‘carbon farming’ would move us toward carbon neutrality by absorbing more greenhouse gases. Completely eliminating all carbon emissions, even by 2050, will prove difficult, with eliminating the last 5 to 10% of current emissions levels likely the most difficult. Thankfully, our region is rich in carbon absorbing forests and agricultural land, natural assets on which we should capitalize to achieve net zero emissions and expand economic opportunity. A substantial share of people in the Ohio River Valley earn some of their living from the land. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service, Census of Agriculture, State Data Table 52 in 2020 [1]). The ReImagine Appalachia campaign seeks to address two overarching challenges in our region: a lack of economic opportunity and the need to reduce carbon emissions. With respect to economic opportunity, parts of our region suffer from persistent poverty and, in all four of our states, the average incomes of the bottom 90 percent have not increased since the late 1970s. (Sommeiller and Price in The new gilded age: Income inequality in the U.S. by state, metropolitan area, and county, 2020 [2]). The need for opportunity has increased significantly because of the COVID recession. The need to reduce carbon emissions stems from our region’s carbon footprint. The Appalachian region is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the U.S. (Young and Tate in Appalachian Coal is a major Source of Methane, A Potent Greenhouse Gas, 2020 [3]) Storms, floods, and fires will damage our people and places if climate change continues unabated. This white paper addresses these overall challenges and those specific to our lands, agriculture, and forestry sectors. We propose solutions to bolster farm and forestry income, as well as use regenerative agriculture practices to increase atmospheric carbon capture into soils and living agricultural systems.