Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Farmers could reap $3b carbon harvest

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From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

A new report says farmers could make an extra $3 billion a year by helping to produce clean energy and by offering carbon offsets to big polluters.

The CSIRO report was commissioned by a group called the Agricultural Alliance on Climate Change, which includes farming and green organisations.

It found that farmers could create carbon offsets for the big polluters and reap up to $920 million a year.

It also found that by harvesting renewable energy farmers could reap royalties from wind farms, and get an annual revenue of $250 million.

The Climate Institute's John Connor says it is a key step needed to cut greenhouse gases.

"The rural sector can play a key role in not just providing bread and butter but providing power and pruning greenhouse pollution," he said.

The study found that a renewable energy target of 25 per cent is cost effective and could deliver farmers wind royalties of up to $250 million a year....MORE