Carbon Sequestration in Urban Ecosystems
Rapid urbanization started since early 1950s. Among numerous consequences of urbanization are change in landuse and land cover including deforestation, encroachment of prime farmland, and alterations in landscape. These consequences reduce the ecosystem c
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Rattan Lal • Bruce Augustin Editors
Carbon Sequestration in Urban Ecosystems
Editors Rattan Lal Carbon Management and Sequestration Center The Ohio State University, OARDC 2021 Coffey Road Columbus, OH 43210 USA [email protected]
Bruce Augustin 17578 Raymond Road Marysville, OH 43040 USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-94-007-2365-8 e-ISBN 978-94-007-2366-5 DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-2366-5 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011941764 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Foreword
Urbanization, a principal land use during the twenty-first century, is an anthropogenically driven and a rapid transformation of ecosystems. While more than 50% of the world’s population already lives in urban centers, urban encroachment of prime farmlands is caused by a rapid population growth. By 2050, as much as 69% of the world population may live in urban centers. It is estimated that providing accommodation and the supporting infrastructure to one million people requires 40,000 ha of land. Thus, the estimated global population growth rate of 70–80 million people per year needs an additional land area of three million hectares (Mha). Total land area in urban centers in the U.S. is estimated at 24 Mha or 2.62% of the total land area. Such a rapid urbanization has also increased demand for natural resources, with a large ecologic foot print. Further, continued loss of prime farmland may exacerbate food prices, create agricultural shortages across the world, and lead to food price inflation. Urban encroachment has numerous social, economic, political and ecologic implications, including reduction in ability of agroecosystems to produce adequate amount of food and fiber for the ever increasing world population. Megacities and growing urban centers also use numerous resources including energy, minerals, transport fuel, water and food, and generate a large amount of waste. This drastic ecologic transformation and consumption of natural resources is a principal anthropogenic driver of global change including the global warming. Of the total earth’s ice-free land area of 11.3 billion ha, about 3% (338 Mha) is under urban land use. However, these areas are major sources of emission of greenhouse gases. Yet, judicious management and restoration of urban ecosystems can off-set some anthropogenic emissions and also generate essential ecosystem services. Urban centers consist of build up areas (under buildings, concrete and asphalt) and also green areas (under lawns, shrubs, trees, forests an
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