Carbon Mitigation Potential Research Articles

Carbon dioxide mitigation potential and carbon density of different land use systems along an altitudinal gradient in north-western Himalayas

The present study estimated the biomass, carbon density and carbon dioxide mitigation potential of different land use systems along an altitudinal gradient in valley ecosystem showing variation in biodiversity because of changing climatic conditions. Seven different land use systems/crop rotations viz., cereal–cereal, cereal–vegetable, vegetable–vegetable, orchard + cereal–cereal, orchard + cereal–vegetable, orchard + vegetable–vegetable and pure orchard at four altitudinal gradients viz, 1,000–1,300, 1,300–1,600, 1,600–1,900 and 1,900–2,200 m above mean sea level and approximately 1 °C temperature gradient were assessed. The results revealed that different land use systems have significant influence on the production of above ground biomass, below ground biomass, carbon density and carbon mitigation potential. Maximum above ground biomass (75.64 Mg ha−1) and below ground biomass (23.60 Mg ha−1) was accumulated in orchard + cereal–cereal system. Total biomass production of different land use systems in valley ecosystem followed the order of orchard + cereal–cereal > orchard + cereal–vegetable > orchard + vegetable–vegetable > pure orchard > cereal–cereal > cereal–vegetable > vegetable–vegetable. Rate of CO2 mitigation potential was maximum (7.81 Mg ha−1 year−1) in the orchard + cereal–cereal based land use system situated at an altitudinal range of 1,900–2,200 m. Maximum carbon density (90.88 Mg ha−1) of both soil + plant was also observed in orchard + cereal–cereal based land use systems at 1,300–1,600 m above mean sea level.

Carbon mitigation potential of Indian steel industry

Steel dominates the global metal production accounting for 5 % of increase in Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Today, India is the 4th largest producer of crude steel in the world. The sector contributes around 3 % to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) but adds 6.2 % to the national greenhouse gas (GHG) load. It accounts for 28.4% of the entire industry sector emissions, which are 23.9% of the country’s total emissions. Being a developing country, India is not obliged to cut its emissions under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), but gave voluntary commitment to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 20–25 % from the 2005 level by 2020. This paper attempts to find out if the Indian steel sector can help the country in fulfilling this commitment. The sector reduced its CO2 emissions per ton of steel produced by 58% from 1994 to 2007. The study generates six scenarios for future projections which show that the sector can reduce its emission intensity by 12.5 % to 63 %. But going by the conservative estimates, the sector can reduce emission intensity by 30 % to 53 %. However, actual emissions will go up significantly in every case.

Accountable Accounting: Carbon-Based Management on Marginal Lands

Substantial discussion exists concerning the best land use options for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on marginal land. Emissions-mitigating land use options include displacement of fossil fuels via biofuel production and afforestation. Comparing C recovery dynamics under these different options is crucial to assessing the efficacy of offset programs. In this paper, we focus on forest recovery on marginal land, and show that there is substantial inaccuracy and discrepancy in the literature concerning carbon accumulation. We find that uncertainty in carbon accumulation occurs in estimations of carbon stocks and models of carbon dynamics over time. We suggest that analyses to date have been largely unsuccessful at determining reliable trends in site recovery due to broad land use categories, a failure to consider the effect of current and post-restoration management, and problems with meta-analysis. Understanding of C recovery could be greatly improved with increased data collection on pre-restoration site quality, prior land use history, and management practices as well as increased methodological standardization. Finally, given the current and likely future uncertainty in C dynamics, we recommend carbon mitigation potential should not be the only environmental service driving land use decisions on marginal lands.

Cost Implications of Carbon Capture and Storage for the Coal Power Plants in India

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is the process of extraction of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial and energy related sources, transport to storage locations and long-term isolation from the atmosphere. It is being considered as a bridging technology, with significant carbon mitigation potential, especially for large point sources such as coal power plants. The present study looks at the technical feasibility and economic viability of any such initiative in the Indian context by means of case studies of individual power plants. The incremental cost of electricity (COE) of the plants retrofitted with CCS has been estimated using the cost data on CCS components from literature as well as using the IECM (Integrated Environmental Control Model) software. The values of incremental COE and the cost of CO2 avoidance have been estimated as INR 2.2-2.6/kWh and INR 2600-3200 per tCO2, respectively. The costs are highly sensitive to the boiler efficiency and the heat rate of the base plant. The retrofitting of the CCS units in the existing coal plants in India is expected to reduce the net power output of the already inadequate power sector and increase the electricity generation cost substantially. Thus, it would be worthwhile to investigate the necessary and sufficient conditions under which the Indian power plants could graduate to the CCS technologies.

Morphological investigation and physical characterization of ancient fragments of pyrogenic carbon

In the latest years, the attention toward the use of pyrogenic carbon as a climate mitigation strategy has increasingly grown. Biochar (BC) contains substantial amount (60–90%) of pyrogenic carbon, which is a recalcitrant material and it is hardly decomposed by biotic and abiotic oxidation. The carbon mitigation potential of biochar is associated to the fact that carbon is not easily released back into the atmosphere, even after very long incubation time in the soil. Several studies have been addressing the understanding of the fate of pyrogenic carbon in the soil in a quantitative way, but only a few actually considered materials that were produced in the past and they were not fully able to estimate the fraction of carbon that was oxidized on centennial time scales. In this paper, an old deposits of biochar in soils of the Eastern Alps (Trentino, Val di Pejo) was dated at 1859 by means of a dendroanthracological approach. Carbon decomposition in those soils was then investigated to calculate the fraction of carbon that was lost over 155 years. Part of this study is focused on the morphological and physical characterization of several fragments of biochar, using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Such study enabled the identification of specific morphological features of tracheids in the old biochar, which were tentatively associated to a differential oxidation of the structures that were created during carbonization from lignin and cellulose.

Carbon dioxide utilisation of Dunaliella tertiolecta for carbon bio-mitigation in a semicontinuous photobioreactor

Bio-fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) by microalgae has been recognised as an attractive approach to offset anthropogenic emissions. Biological carbon mitigation is the process whereby autotrophic organisms, such as microalgae, convert CO2 into organic carbon and O2 through photosynthesis; this process through respiration produces biomass. In this study Dunaliella tertiolecta was cultivated in a semicontinuous culture to investigate the carbon mitigation rate of the system. The algae were produced in 1.2-L Roux bottles with a working volume of 1 L while semicontinuous production commenced on day 4 of cultivation when the carbon mitigation rate was found to be at a maximum for D. tertiolecta. The reduction in CO2 between input and output gases was monitored to predict carbon fixation rates while biomass production and microalgal carbon content are used to calculate the actual carbon mitigation potential of D. tertiolecta. A renewal rate of 45 % of flask volume was utilised to maintain the culture in exponential growth with an average daily productivity of 0.07 g L(-1) day(-1). The results showed that 0.74 g L(-1) of biomass could be achieved after 7 days of semicontinuous production while a total carbon mitigation of 0.37 g L(-1) was achieved. This represented an increase of 0.18 g L(-1) in carbon mitigation rate compared to batch production of D. tertiolecta over the same cultivation period.

Analysis of low-carbon industrial symbiosis technology for carbon mitigation in a Chinese iron/steel industrial park: A case study with carbon flow analysis

CO 2 mitigation strategies in industrial parks are a significant component of the Chinese climate change mitigation policy, and industrial symbiosis can provide specific CO 2 mitigation opportunity. Technology is important to support symbiosis, but few studies in China have focused on this topic at the industrial park level. This research presented a case study in a national iron and steel industrial park in China. Focus was given onto carbon mitigation through industrial symbiosis technology using substance flow analysis (SFA). Three typical iron and steel industry technologies, including coke dry quenching (CDQ), combined cycle power plant (CCPP), and CO 2 capture by slag carbonization (CCSC) were evaluated with SFA. Technology assessment was further conducted in terms of carbon mitigation potential and unit reduction cost. Compared with the Business as usual (BAU) scenario, application with CDQ, CCPP, and CCSC reduced the net carbon emissions by 56.18, 134.43, and 222.89 kg CO 2 per ton crude steel inside the industrial parks, respectively, including both direct and indirect emissions. Economic assessment revealed that the unit costs for the three technologies were also high, thereby necessitating national financial support. Finally, relevant policy suggestions and future concerns were proposed and discussed. • A typical carbon mitigation case study on China iron/steel industrial park. • Using carbon SFA to investigate mitigation effects of industrial symbiosis technology. • CCPP greatly reduced the indirect carbon emission embodied in power purchase. • CCSC reduced the carbon emission by distributing fixed carbon into by-product. • Specific low carbon-tech promotion policies fit to China was discussed and proposed.

Exploring the options for carbon dioxide mitigation in Turkish electric power industry: System dynamics approach

Electric power industry has a huge carbon mitigation potential, fundamentally because there are large carbon-free, renewable resource options. In Turkey, with growing demand in electricity consumption and incentives offered for natural gas fired electricity generation, CO2 emissions sourced from electric power industry had tripled over the last two decades. Current governmental strategy focuses on energy security and resource diversity in a growing economy and does not articulate sufficient mitigation targets and appropriate regulations. In this research, an original dynamic simulation model is built, validated and analyzed to explore the options for carbon mitigation in Turkish electric power industry. Model structure represents the investment, dispatch and pricing heuristics as well as the natural resource base of electricity generation in Turkey. It operates on annual basis over 30 years to simulate installed capacities and generations of power plants with alternative resources and their resulting CO2 emissions. The analysis presented in this paper reveals that there are mitigation options below 50% of business as usual growth, with common policy options such as feed-in-tariffs, investment subsidies and carbon taxes. The model can serve as an experimental platform for further analysis of problems related to carbon mitigation in Turkish electricity sector.

Carbon reduction potentials of China's industrial parks: A case study of Suzhou Industry Park

Industrial parks are the economic engines for many China regions, but they also consume a great deal of energy and emit greenhouse gases. However, few empirical studies have examined these special communities. We selected SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park) as a case study. Carbon emissions from SIP were accounted from the consumption perspective to analyze their characteristics. Results showed total carbon emissions grew 85.2% from 2005 to 2010, and carbon intensity (carbon emissions per unit of GDP (gross domestic product)) decreased by 9%. Scenario analysis was then used to depict emissions trajectories under three different pathways. The total carbon emissions and per capita carbon emissions for SIP will undoubtedly increase in the near future under a business-as-usual scenario, improved-policy scenario, and low-carbon scenario; the carbon intensity will decrease by 38% under low-carbon scenario, but it will still be difficult to reach the national mitigation target. In addition, geographic-boundary-based accounting methodology was applied for comparison analysis, carbon emissions show a large gap of 42.4–65.1% from 2005 to 2010, due to failure to account for cross-boundary emissions from imported electricity. Therefore, comprehensive analysis from a consumption perspective is necessary to provide a fair and comprehensive tool for China's local decision-makers to evaluate carbon mitigation potentials.

Feasibility of the Combination of CO2 Geological storage and Saline Water Development in Sedimentary Basins of China

Utilization plays a key role in the deployment of CCS in China. CO2 geological storage and utilization (CGSU) shows most charming potential for carbon mitigation in China according to the technology roadmap study of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in China. After a general review and a thorough investigation, the partition of China mainland into three CCUS zones is figured out mainly according to the different types of aquifer systems. Focusing on coal chemical enterprises in the western China (Zone I), a novel CGSU method is proposed in this paper. By CO2 enhanced recovery of deep saline water, a tripartite win system is charming promotion of China western development. The cross point of the developed system is to attract investment on coal chemical industry to use local rich coal resources, to meet great water demand of coal chemical industry in the water shortage of China western region, and to maximum optimize of pressure buildup of CO2 geological storage.

Sustainable drainage devices for carbon mitigation

Purpose – Sustainable drainage (SUDS) techniques seek to address problems associated with excess water quantity, poor water quality, and attempt to improve environmental quality. SUDS have also been proposed as suitable for adapting to and mitigating climate change. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contribution of SUDS to carbon mitigation for a local planning authority.Design/methodology/approach – Carbon sequestration rates of SUDS techniques were obtained from published literature. A Geographical Information System was used to identify potential sites for future SUDS implementation across the area covered by a local planning authority, Coventry, UK. The carbon mitigation potential of different SUDS techniques was estimated, taking account of land cover and land use limitations on new build and retrofit implementation.Findings – Vegetated SUDS in new developments and retrofit green roofs provided the greatest potential for carbon storage in this urban setting.Research limitations/implication...

Carbon Pools and Poverty Peaks in Lao PDR

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD ) is heavily promoted in Laos. REDD is often perceived as an opportunity to jointly address climate change and poverty and, therefore, could come timely for Laos to combine its prominent national target of poverty eradication with global climate mitigation efforts. Countrywide planning of the right approaches to REDD combined with poverty alleviation requires knowledge of the spatial combination of poverty and carbon stocks at the national level. This study combined spatial information on carbon stored in vegetation and on poverty and created carbon-poverty typologies for the whole country at the village level. We found that 11% of the villages of Laos have high to very high average village-level carbon stock densities and a predominantly poor population. These villages cover 20% of the territory and are characterized by low population density. Shifting cultivation areas in the northwestern parts of the country have a higher carbon mitigation potential than areas in the central and eastern highlands due to a more favorable climate. Finally, we found that in Laos the majority (58%) of poor people live in areas with low carbon stock densities without major potential to store carbon. Accordingly, REDD cannot be considered a core instrument for poverty alleviation. The carbon-poverty typologies presented here provide answers to basic questions related to planning and managing of REDD . They could serve as a starting point for the design of systems to monitor both socioeconomic and environmental development at the national level.

Global greenhouse gas implications of land conversion to biofuel crop cultivation in arid and semi-arid lands – Lessons learned from Jatropha

Biofuels are considered as a climate-friendly energy alternative. However, their environmental sustainability is increasingly debated because of land competition with food production, negative carbon balances and impacts on biodiversity. Arid and semi-arid lands have been proposed as a more sustainable alternative without such impacts. In that context this paper evaluates the carbon balance of potential land conversion to Jatropha cultivation, biofuel production and use in arid and semi-arid areas. This evaluation includes the calculation of carbon debt created by these land conversions and calculation of the minimum Jatropha yield necessary to repay the respective carbon debts within 15 or 30 years.The carbon debts caused by conversion of arid and semi-arid lands to Jatropha vary largely as a function of the biomass carbon stocks of the land use types in these regions. Based on global ecosystem carbon mapping, cultivated lands and marginal areas (sparse shrubs, herbaceous and bare areas) show to have similar biomass carbon stocks (on average 4–8 t C ha−1) and together cover a total of 1.79 billion ha. Conversion of these lands might not cause a carbon debt, but still might have a negative impact on other sustainability dimensions (e.g. biodiversity or socio-economics). Jatropha establishment in shrubland (0.75 billion ha) would cause a carbon debt of 24–28 t C ha−1 on average (repayable within 30 year with yield of 3.5–3.9 t seed ha−1 yr−1). Land use change in the 1.15 billion ha of forested area under arid and semi-arid climates could cause a carbon debt between 70 and 118 t C ha−1. This debt requires 8.6–13.9 t seed production ha−1 yr−1 for repayment within 30 years. If repayment is required within 15 years, the necessary minimum yields almost double. Considering that 5 t seed ha−1 yr−1 is the current maximum Jatropha yield, conversion of forests cannot be repaid within one human generation. Repayment of carbon debt from shrubland conversions in 30 years is challenging, but feasible. Repayment in 15 year is currently not attainable.Based on this analysis the paper discusses the carbon mitigation potential of biofuels in arid and semi-arid environments.

Carbon allocation, sequestration and carbon dioxide mitigation under plantation forests of north western Himalaya, India

The organic carbon and soils of the world comprise bulk of the terrestrial carbon and serve as amajorsink and source of atmospheric carbon. Increasing atmospheric concentrations of green house gases may be mitigated by increasing carbon sequestration in vegetation and soil. The study attempted to estimate biomass production and carbon sequestration potential of different plantation ecosystems in north western Himalaya, India. Biomass, carbon density of biomass, soil, detritus, carbon sequestration and CO2 mitigation potential were studied underdifferent plantation forest ecosystems comprising of eight different tree species viz. Quercus leucotrichophora, Pinus roxburghii), Acacia catechu, Acacia mollissima, Albizia procera, Alnus nitida, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Ulmus villosa . Above (185.57 ą 48.99 tha-1) and below ground (42.47 ą 10.38 tha-1 ) biomass was maximum in Ulmus villosa . The vegetation carbon density was maxium in Albizia procera (118.37 ą 1.49 tha-1) and minimum (36.50 ą 9.87 tha-1) in Acacia catechu . Soil carbon density was maximum (219.86ą 10.34 tha-1) in Alnus nitida , and minimum (170.83ą 20.60 tha-1)in Pinus roxburghii . Detritus was higher in Pinus roxburghii (6.79 ą 2.0 tha-1). Carbon sequestration (7.91ą 3.4 tha-1) and CO2 mitigation potential (29.09 ą 12.78 tha-1) was maximum in Ulmus villosa . Pearson correlation matrix revealed significant positive relationship of ecosystem carbon with plantation biomass, soil carbon and CO2 mitigation potential. With the emerging threat of climate change, such assessment of forest and soil carbon inventory would allow to devise best land management and policy decisions forsustainable management of fragile hilly ecosystem.

Improving Land-Use Modelling within CGE to Assess Forest-Based Mitigation Potential and Costs

We present a computable general equilibrium model properly modified to analyse the potential role of the European forestry sector within climate mitigation. Improvements on database and modelling frameworks allow accounting for land heterogeneity across and within regions and for land transfers between agriculture, grazing, and forestry. The forestry sector has been modified to track carbon mitigation potential from both intensive and extensive forest margins, which have been calibrated according to a forest sectoral model. Two sets of climate policies are simulated. In a first scenario, Europe is assumed to commit unilaterally to reduce CO2 emissions of 20% and 30%, by 2020. In a second scenario, in addition to the emissions quotas, progressively higher forest- sequestration subsidies are paid to European firms to foster the implementation of forestry practices. Results show that including forest carbon in the compliance strategy decreases European policy costs and carbon price, while it does not lead to significant reductions in carbon leakage. We conclude that while European forests can reinforce other mitigation measures, their contribution as a stand-alone abatement strategy results insufficient to comply with emissions reduction targets. Additionally, carbon sinks provided by European temperate forests do not offer considerable mitigation potential if compared with other forest biomes around the world. A much higher forest mitigation would require other regions to take part in a climate stabilization agreement, especially those where old-growth forests exist.

Carbon mitigation potential of Jatropha Biodiesel in Indian context

With depleting supply of fossil fuels and energy prices reaching historical high, biodiesel as an alternative fuel is increasingly drawing attention. Biodiesel is regarded as sustainable energy source and would become as important as petroleum products of the present time. The biodiesel is a substitute or an additive to diesel fuel and because of its low emission make it an ideal fuel for diesel engine. The biodiesel does not require any modifications to be used in a CI engine. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of jatropha biodiesel and its carbon mitigation potential in Indian context.

Theoretical Assessment of Algal Biomass Potential for Carbon Mitigation and Biofuel Production

2 Abstract: In view of ever increasing global demand for energy, there has been substantial interest in developing renewable biologically produced fuel. Microalgae are one such emerging resource considered as an alternative for biodiesel production. However its realistic potential is often either over estimated or underestimated. In view of this, a rigorous assessment is carried out to evaluate the realistic potential of micro algal biodiesel based on photosynthesis, thermodynamics and physical assumptions. This paper identifies six best regions in each continent for algal biomass cultivation considering both sunlight and local climatic conditions. The mean hourly meteorological data, sunlight, ambient temperature and rainfall information for the identified potential site is combined to estimate annual biomass production, lipid production and carbon mitigation potential. Maximum possible algal biomass yield and oil productivity have been estimated for six global sites at three different scenarios of photosynthetic efficiency 11.42, 6 and 3%. The upper optimistic biomass, oil yield and carbon fixation potential was calculated to be 533 T/ha/yr, 1, 25, 333 L/ha/yr. and 95 Tons CO /ha/yr. This study 2 provides a baseline data for theoretical maximum, minimum and best estimates of open pond microalgae production systems.

ALMACÉN DE CARBONO EN SISTEMAS AGROFORESTALES CON CAFÉ

El presente estudio se realizó con el objetivo de estimar el almacén de carbono en sistemas agro¬forestales (SAF) con base en café en la región de Huatusco, zona de mayor producción de café (Coffea arabiga L.) en el estado de Veracruz, México, a fin de obtener información cuantitativa sobre el potencial de mitigación de carbono en los SAF de la región. Para ello, se estimaron los reservorios de carbono en biomasa vegetal y la materia orgánica edáfica existentes en sistemas agroforestales de café-plátano, café-macadamia, café-cedro rosado, café-ganado ovino y café-chalahuite, y como referencia de una condición no agroforestal se incluyeron un bosque primario y un potrero con prade¬ra natural. La recolección de muestras se hizo en parcelas de 4 x 25 m (100 m2), donde se colectó biomasa de vegetación herbácea y mantillo, y para el suelo la profundidad de muestreo fue de 0 a 30 cm. El sistema agroforestal que presentó la mayor cantidad de carbono aéreo, estimado con modelos alelométricos, fue café-cedro rosado (Ca + Ce), con 114 Mg C•ha-1, seguido de los sistemas café - macadamia (Ca + Ma), con 34 Mg C•ha-1; café-chalahuite (Ca + Ch), con 29 Mg C•ha-1; café-plátano velillo (Ca + Pl), con 27 Mg C•ha-1; y por último el sistema silvopastoril (Sp), con 2 Mg C•ha-1. Para el caso del carbono orgánico del suelo, el tratamiento (Ca + Ce) fue el que presentó mayor contenido de carbono fácilmente oxidable en el suelo, con 58 Mg C•ha-1, y el menor fue el tratamiento potrero (P), con 50 Mg C•ha-1. Del carbono orgánico total entre los SAF el tratamiento Ca + Ce fue el que tuvo el mayor valor, con 172 Mg C•ha-1, y el tratamiento silvopastoril (Sp) presentó el menor, con 65 Mg C•ha-1. De los sistemas evaluados se concluye que, en promedio, los SAF almacenan 102 Mg C•ha-1, mientras que el potrero almacena 52 t C•ha-1, y el bosque primario es el sistema que más almacena carbono total, con un valor de 355 Mg C•ha-1.

Local-Scale Carbon Budgets and Mitigation Opportunities for the Northeastern United States

Economic and political realities present challenges for implementing an aggressive climate change abatement program in the United States. A high-efficiency approach will be essential. In this synthesis, we compare carbon budgets and evaluate the carbon-mitigation potential for nine counties in the northeastern United States that represent a range of biophysical, demographic, and socioeconomic conditions. Most counties are net sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, with the exception of rural forested counties, in which sequestration in vegetation and soils exceed emissions. Protecting forests will ensure that the region's largest CO2 sink does not become a source of emissions. For rural counties, afforestation, sustainable fuelwood harvest for bioenergy, and utility-scale wind power could provide the largest and most cost-effective mitigation opportunities among those evaluated. For urban and suburban counties, energy-efficiency measures and energy-saving technologies would be most cost effect...

Carbon mitigation potential of different landuse systems in Northwest Himalayas of India

The alarming increase of CO2 from pre-industrial time has made scientists of every corner to evolve technology to harness this anthropogenic gas and balance the system. A landuse can be a source or sink for carbon depending on the process experienced by the system. The proportion of carbon stored in landuse varies widely depending on their components and climate conditions. More accurate estimates of global or continental CO2 emission from landuse/cover change can only be obtained from extrapolation of reliable local estimates. Northwest Himalayan region has variety of land management practices and landuse systems. In the present research at Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, India, all possible land use systems of Northwestern Himalayas (India) viz. Agri-silvi-horticulture (ASH), Agri-horti-silviculture (AHS), Agri-silviculture (AS), Agri-horticulture (AH), Silvi-pasture (SP), Pure agriculture (PA), Pure grassland (PG) and Abandoned land (AL) / undisturbed lands were taken to assess the relative carbon mitigation (RCM) potential by calculating carbon mitigation in plant biomass as well as in soil component of the system. The carbon inventory in plants were estimated by calculating the above and below ground biomass using non-destructive method for different plant parts while in the soil the carbon expressed as mega grams per hectare (Mg/ha) for soil depths (0-20 cm and 0-40 cm) was computed by multiplying the soil organic carbon (g kg-1) with bulk density (g cm-3) and depth (cm). The results showed that all land use systems had higher relative carbon mitigation potential than agriculture system. For the soil layer 0-20 cm, the relative carbon mitigation potential ranged from 1.33-2.32 (taking value for agriculture LU system as 1). The lowest value was obtained for AH whereas, the maximum for abandoned land. Further, the study shows that the relative carbon mitigation potential of AL was obtained 2.32 times higher than agriculture followed by SP, ASH, AS, PG=AHS and AH. Considering the RCM values for cumulative soil layer 0-40 cm over 0-20 cm only, different land use systems showed slightly higher carbon mitigation potential values except PG. The different land use systems in terms of RCM potential were ranked as: AL > SP > ASH > AS > AH > AHS > PG and ranging from 1.16-2.40.