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EU agricultural ministers to discuss role of soil carbon sequestration in mitigating climate change

maa- ja metsätalousministeriö
Publication date 19.9.2019 13.35
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Agricultural ministers from EU member states will gather for an informal meeting in Helsinki on 22–24 September to discuss the role of soil carbon sequestration in climate action. The ministers will also visit a Finnish farm and a forest management site.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä will chair the meeting.

Soil carbon sequestration has a pivotal role in climate action

Finland considers soil carbon sequestration on agricultural land to be a key way of reducing carbon emissions from agriculture. With suitable cultivation methods and land use solutions, fields could absorb more carbon from the atmosphere and also act as important carbon stocks.

Over the past few decades in the EU, the total carbon stock of agricultural land has generally decreased. At the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Agriculture in Helsinki, the ministers will discuss how to best promote carbon sequestration in agriculture, including through the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020.

The discussions between the agricultural ministers will contribute to negotiations on the EU’s long-term climate objective. Most of the member states are ready to strive for net-zero carbon emissions, that is, a balance between carbon emissions and carbon sinks, by 2050. Finland’s aim during its Presidency of the Council of the EU is to reach an agreement on the EU’s climate objective.

Minister Leppä talks about the themes of the meeting

 
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