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Drawdown Georgia Project

Marilyn Brown, PhD, NAE, NAS, CEM

Regents and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainability

School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tracking Climate Solutions Seminar Series:

#1: Composting, Ag, and Afforestation

September 15, 2022

Welcome to the first of 5 seminars this fall semester, focusing on tracking and activation climate solutions in Georgia.

With the support and active involvement of the RCAF, I have been leading the DDGA research program since 2019.

The program is an increasingly collaborative effort engaging many universities and NGOs across the state to support the Drawdown Georgia “Movement.”

Our activities aim to enable local citizens, businesses, policymakers, and NGOs to answer the question “What can we do here in Georgia to help address climate change?” In a state that has no climate goals and no carbon reduction plans.

One of our first challenges was to measure and characterize Georgia’s carbon footprint–its NET CO2-Equivalent emissions.

How big do you think Georgia’s carbon footprint is? ANSWER: about 128 MMTCO2 in 2017. We used Sankey diagrams to illustrate emission sources and sinks, and the activities that these emissions support: E-T-I-R-C

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20 DDGA Climate Solutions & Tracking

Sept 15 (1-2pm): Composting & Reforestation

by Jeff Mullen, Jacqueline Mohan

Oct 14(2-3pm): Rooftop Solar

by Jeff Pratt, Bryan Jacob

Nov 3(1-2pm): Recycling

by Beril Toktay, Emma Brodzick

Oct 6 (1-2pm): Electric Vehicles

by Rich Simmons, Anne Blair

Nov 17 (11am-12pm): Heat Pumps and Retrofitting

by Garry Harris, Jeff Smith

See Here for more details: https://climatesolutions.gatech.edu

Knowing the carbon sources and sinks allowed us to identify carbon reduction strategies for GA. We started with more than 100, and ended with these 20, covering 5 sectors of GA’s economy.

In addition to traditional screening criteria, we examined how these solutions would advance equity, economic development, public health and env. Quality.

--We have established the first state-wide climate business compact : Cox Enterprises, Delta, UPS, CocaCola, and Google and smaller enterprises like GoodR and Better Earth. Lessons can be shared by gathering businesses together in a state-wide business compact where companies and

Finally, we are also tabulating and assessing promising solution activation opportunities and tabulating solution activation. That is the topic of our fall seminar series.

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Source: Derived from Princeton REPEAT Project, with calculations by

Dr. Bill Drummond, Georgia Tech

https://blog.drawdownga.org/explore-the-climate-impact-of-the-inflation-reduction-act-with-the-ghg-emissions-tracker

Funding Opportunities for Food, Ag and Forests Solutions

Inflation Reduction Act

$40 billion for agriculture, forestry and rural development

$20 billion for the

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
Conservation Stewardship Program
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Regional Conservation Partnership Program
Technical assistance

$14 billion for

rural development to support renewable energy and spending on biofuels infrastructure

https://www.fb.org/market-intel/whats-in-the-inflation-reduction-act-for-agriculture

Georgia Net GHG Forecasts: “Business as Usual” vs IRA

IRA=Inflation Reduction Act

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Tracking Georgia’s Emissions (https://climatesolutions.gatech.edu/)

Georgia's net emissions declined by 5% from 2017 (before Covid) to 2021 (a year of Covid recovery).

The average carbon footprint per capita was 23,479 pounds in 2017 (which is 10.7 tons or the equivalent of throwing 7 mid-sized cars into the atmosphere). In 2021, the average was down 10% to 21,054 pounds (only 5 cars heaved into the atmosphere by each resident that year).

Most of the GHG reductions have been from the use of cleaner fuels to generate electricity. Georgia is consuming more natural gas and more diesel fuel today than in 2017.

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●Survey of ~1,800 GA households in 9/2021

Most Georgians recycle, but few compost.

DDGA Energy and Climate Survey (https://cepl.gatech.edu/researchtoaction)

●Sustainable lifestyle is an important driver of adoption & co-adoption of EV, RPV, and HP

Consumers with sustainable lifestyle are more willing to adopt electric vehicles, rooftop solar and heat pumps.

One additional sustainable behavior (e.g., composting)

→ 49-65% greater odds of co-adoption**

*(Brown et al., forthcoming) **(Struthers et al., forthcoming)

Probability of Household’s Willingness to Pay

We conducted an Energy and Climate Survey of about 1800 hhs to better understand the state’s views about different solutions and policies that affected them.

According to survey, majority of respondents rarely or never compost - but many aspects of their hh behavior shows a commitment to sustainability: for instance, they frequently recycle and manage their electricity usage.

And a sustainable lifestyle is an important driver of adoption and co-adoption of three electrification technologies that are key to carbon reduction - EV, Rooftop solar, and HP

-Consumers with sustainable lifestyle are more more willing to adopt three technologies

We found that a consumer committing to one additional sustainable behavior (e.g., composting) has 65% and 49% greater odds of adopting multiple technologies than no technologies or a single technology, respectively

We are now in the process of designing a Solutions Tracker to visualize the adoption and use of solutions across the state and identify new and promising solution activation opportunities.

Ultimately, by linking the Emissions and Solutions Trackers to spotlight notable shifts in emissions and connect solution activation to carbon drawdown.

This will lift up examples of climate solution implementation around the state. That is the focus of today’s seminar

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Today’s Presenters:

Dr. Jeffrey Mullen, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Applied Economics, UGA

Dr. Jacqueline Mohan, Associate Professor, Odum School of Ecology, UGA

Topics for Discussion Following their Remarks:

Data sources and methods to track solution adoption
Key places and people who are demonstrating success
Critical infrastructure and enabling policies
Consideration of disadvantages communities and equity
Potential for accelerating adoption
Business leaders and others who should be consulted

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Composting Large-Scale Waste Streams: Background & Steps Forward

Dr. Jeff Mullen, Associate Professor

September 15, 2022

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3/1/2021

When organic matter decomposes in landfills, it releases carbon dioxide and methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting allows for organic matter to be broken down by microbes. The process sequesters carbon and produces fertilizer.

QUICK FACTS

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food and yard waste together make up more than 30% of what we throw away. This material could be composted instead.

Georgia currently operates about 38 composting facilities at various scales.

Composting creates a nutrient rich soil that can be used for gardening and agriculture.

BEYOND CARBON

Composting has many environmental benefits including enriching soil health and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

Composting diverts waste from landfills.

This solution can be affordable at scale, however there are costs associated with interventions and education required for households and businesses to change disposal practices including plastics separation.

Composting

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

GEORGIA’S 2030

MEGATON OPPORTUNITY

We could reduce 1 Mt of CO2-e in Georgia by diverting 2 million tons of organic and food waste to composting from landfills.

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Sludge from Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Sludge Management Plans (GA EPD, US EPA)

K-12 Public School Food Service Waste

School District Procurement Records

University Food Service Waste

Campus Sustainability Officers

Stadium/Arena Food Service Waste

Corporate Sustainability Officers

Large-Scale Waste Stream Composting Opportunities

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There are more than 1,500 WWTFs in the state of Georgia

Sludge/Biosolid Reporting requirements depend on

are Class 1 management facilities (POTWs with an approved pretreatment program);
are Major POTWs (POTWs with a design flow rate greater than or equal to one million gallons per day);
serve 10,000 people or more;
are otherwise required to report by EPA or permitting authority.

In 2021, 32 WWTFs were required to report disposal amount and location

Together represent just under 290,000 tonnes of sludge (72,250 tonnes biosolids)

Wastewater Treatment Facilities

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2021 WWTFs Reporting Disposal Numbers

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2021 Landfills Accepting Biosolids from those WWTFs

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2021 Landfills and Compost Sites Accepting Biosolids from those WWTFs

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Divert biosolids out of landfills into COMPOST

44,000 tonnes of CO2 saved from these 32 facilities

Need to evaluate potential from other 1,400+ WWTFs

Conclusions

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Afforestation and Silvopasture in

Georgia: Background & Steps Forward

Dr. Jackie Mohan

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Federal & State Government

US Dept. Ag, US Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
Georgia Forestry Commission

NGO’s

National Forests Foundation
American Forests
Society of American Foresters
Trees Atlanta

GA Experts

Dr. Carl Jordan UGA
Will Harris White Oak Pastures

Sources of Data for Forest & Afforestation Solutions

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Land Use in Georgia�(2018 64% Forested, USDA 2018)

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Georgia Forestry Commission 2016

GA Mainly Forested

~7% Pasture

Increasing Development

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Annual CO₂e Storage from Silvopasture –

Carbon in TREES & SOILS

1 MtCO₂e solution in 2030 = Planting 7% of current Conventional Pasture lands with mixed hardwood & loblolly tree species using staggered planting times.

Full Descriptions:

Baseline = Currently very little Silvopasture efforts in Georgia.

Achievable Potential = Planting 20% of current Pasture lands with mixed tree species (loblolly pine + hardwoods) stores 2.8 MtCO₂e per year by 2030. Uses staggered tree planting half in 2020-2021 timeframe; half around 2025. Includes CO₂e stored in trees and soil.

Technical Potential = Planting 100% of current Pasture lands with mixed tree species (loblolly pine + hardwoods) stores 14.3 MtCO₂e per year by 2030. Uses staggered tree planting half in 2020-2021 timeframe; half around 2025.

Includes CO₂e stored in trees and soil.

Extreme Technical Potential = Planting 100% of current Pasture lands with loblolly pine (PITA) stores 19.5 MtCO₂e per year by 2030. Uses staggered tree planting half in 2020-2021 timeframe; half around 2025.

Includes CO₂e stored in trees and soil.

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Georgia Soil Carbon Photos (Dr. Carl Jordan, Spring Valley Ecofarms Athens, GA)

Hardwood Forest (A) and No-Till Farm+Trees+Compost (D)

↑↑Soil Carbon

Old HW Forest ~12“ Dark Soil C

Pine Stand,

↓ Soil C

1993 Conventional Ag Soil, ↓↓ Soil C

2020 Farm+Trees+Compost Soil, ~15”

Dark C-rich soil

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White Oaks Pasture (Will Harris) Bluffton, GA

Silvopasture + Regenerative Grazing Sequesters 85% of Farm CO₂eq Emissions

Largely Due to SOIL CARBON Sequestration

https://whiteoakpastures.com/

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Planting current GA Pastures with 7% Tree Density would annually sequester 1 MtCO₂e by 2030

Higher planting tree densities (20%, 100%), more CO₂e sequestration

Scattered shade increases Health and Productivity of Livestock, thus benefiting farmers.

Federal and NGO programs compensate farmers for planting trees

Silvopasture Summary

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As Rising Heat Bakes U.S. Cities, The Poor Often Feel It Most Sep 3, 2019

Extreme Heat Is Worse for Low-Income, Nonwhite Americans July 14, 2021

Poor Neighborhoods Feel Brunt of Rising Heat Aug. 28, 2020

NPR Investigation: Low-Income Urban Areas Are Often Hotter Than Wealthy Ones

Hotter neighborhoods tend to be poorer in dozens of major U.S cities Sept. 3, 2019

Inflation Reduction Act and TREES

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Tree Canopies Cool Neighborhoods.

The Inflation Reduction Act Commits $1.5B to Plant Many More

IRA – NRCS $$$ for Monitoring

Implementation of Conservation Actions

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PLANT MORE TREES
IRA Will Greatly Expand These Efforts
NRCS Funding to Increase Data Collection
Expand Afforestation Solution to Urban Forestry…
Working with NGOs, Local Governments & Other Stakeholders

SUMMARY -

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Learn more about the roadmap of 20 solutions, go here: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100008118

Go to Climatesolutions.gatech.edu for more about Drawdown Georgia’s research program, trackers, and the business compact:

For more about Drawdown Georgia: www.drawdownga.org

Thank You!