Estimation of Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Emission Reduction Potential of Beijing During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period Under the Background of "Carbon Peak and Neutrality"

Agricultural materials input (fertilizer and pesticide, etc.), together with straw burning, rice planting, and livestock breeding, constitute the sources of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, most related studies have discussed the total amount of agricultural GHG emissions or the role of straw burning and rice planting in agricultural GHG emissions and few studies on agricultural GHG emissions from Agricultural materials. Based on the data of 31 provinces in China from 2003 to 2018, this paper explored the evolution process of agricultural GHG emissions from Agricultural materials. Our research turned up some interesting findings. For example, firstly, Agricultural materials play an increasingly important role in agricultural GHG emissions. Agricultural GHG emissions due to Agricultural materials account for an increasing proportion of the total agricultural GHG emissions. Secondly, there are regional differences in the evolution trend of agricultural GHG emissions caused by agricultural materials. Especially after the urbanization rate broke through the critical line of 50% around 2010 in China.

Searching for solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by agricultural policy decisions — Application of system dynamics modeling for the case of Latvia

To achieve energy conservation and the reduction of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China in 2015 made Zhejiang Province the first national low-carbon and circular agriculture pilot province. Specialized policies were conducted in Zhejiang Province for reducing agricultural GHG emissions. In this study, we collected the GHG emission sources data of each city in Hubei and Zhejiang Provinces and calculated the estimated agricultural GHG emission of each city from 2011 to 2020 by using the recommended method from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Following this, we evaluated the impact of the pilot policies on the agricultural GHG emission in the treatment province, Zhejiang, by implementing the difference-in-differences (DID) analysis. The empirical results showed that after considering variables such as income level, rural employment, and average power of agricultural machinery, the agricultural GHG emissions in Zhejiang Province decreased significantly after 2015, compared with Hubei Province, driven by the low-carbon and circular agriculture pilot policies. Furthermore, agricultural GHG emissions can be effectively reduced by increasing national financial investment and administrative orders; however, excessive administrative orders and forced transformation of the agricultural system are likely to harm farmers’ interests in the process of policy implementation.

Global warming is a key issue that is related to the sustainable development of various countries, and agricultural sectors are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and increasing climate variability. To obtain a better understanding of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the estimation method proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was used to estimate agricultural GHG emissions in 31 provinces in China with respect to five factors: agricultural energy consumption, agricultural farmland utilization, crop cultivation, ruminant feeding, and straw burning. To analyze emission reduction strategy interactions as well as the spillover of agricultural technical information between regions, we used the spatial Durbin model and further explored the different channels of technology spillover. The results obtained were as follows: (1) ruminant feeding and straw burning are the major sources of agricultural GHG emissions in China; (2) emission reduction strategies interact in the various regions, and imitation behaviors are increasing; (3) the correlation of agricultural GHG emission reduction in the different regions in China is not only limited to direct imitation behaviors, and it also reflects the spillover of technical information, i.e., agricultural technological progress plays an important role in the regional linkages of agricultural GHG emissions; (4) a shortening of the economic distance facilitates agricultural technology exchanges between regions. Therefore, to reduce agricultural GHG emissions, it is recommended that all regions should establish regional cooperative emission reduction mechanisms via agricultural technical cooperation.

The selection of effective carbon reduction strategies and the management of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are critical issues in climate change mitigation. Different climate actions can lead to varied pathways for agricultural GHG emissions. This study constructs a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model for Chinese agriculture to identify which measures can contribute to achieving established climate governance objectives, exploring potential net emission pathways for agricultural GHG. On this basis, we provide a rationale for selecting emission reduction measures. Our findings indicate that: (1) Carbon taxation is an indispensable climate action for achieving China’s “dual carbon” goals and net-zero emissions, necessitating combination with other mitigation strategies; (2) Carbon sequestration, non-agricultural carbon taxation, and CCUS measures can alter the net emission trajectory of agricultural GHG, and carbon sequestration shows the most significant impact; (3) Based on the ‘dual carbon’ or net-zero emission goals, China’s agricultural GHG emission pathway might exhibit a flat M-shaped characteristic, whereas intensifying carbon sequestration efforts could lead to an inverted V-shaped trajectory. Our results offer decision-making support for the formulation of GHG emission reduction measures in China.

Based on the data of China’s agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from previous national GHG inventories, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations database and related literature, this paper systematically analyzes recent trends in China’s total agricultural GHG sources, sinks and emissions intensity from multiple perspectives. The results show that from 2005 to 2021, China’s annual agricultural GHG emissions increased from 859 million to 931 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), while the net carbon sequestration in agricultural soils grew from 41 MtCO2e to 106 MtCO2e. Specifically, agricultural methane (CH4) emissions accounted for 68%–73% of the total agricultural emissions, higher than agricultural nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. By sector, livestock production contributed 49%–54% toward total agricultural emissions, exceeding emissions of crop production. According to FAO data, the GHG emissions intensity of China’s agricultural sector is lower than that of developed countries and regions. Furthermore, this paper summarizes China’s mitigation potential in feed and livestock production, manure management, fertilizer application, irrigation and tillage practices, as well as challenges faced by China in implementing existing measures and policies for agricultural carbon mitigation and sequestration. Finally, recommendations for future policies and measures are proposed from technological, institutional, and managerial perspectives.

At the UN climate change conference in Paris in November 2015, Norway committed itself to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Agriculture accounts for 8% of Norway’s total GHG emissions. If GHGs from drained and cultivated wetland (categorized under land use, land use change and forestry) are included, the share is 13%; this for a sector that accounts for roughly 0.3% of GDP. As is the case in most countries, agriculture is currently exempt from emission reduction measures, including the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), in which Norway participates. But the country has recently signaled its intention to include agriculture in future emission reduction efforts. Consideration is being given to how best to achieve GHG reductions in the sector. A recent report by the Norwegian Green Tax Commission, established by the government to evaluate policy options for achieving emission reductions, (Government of Norway, 2015) emphasizes the importance of including agriculture. The Commission suggests that agricultural emissions should be taxed at the same rate as for other sectors. It also recommends that reductions in the production and consumption of red meat should be specifically targeted, through cuts in production grants to farmers and the imposition of consumption taxes. Unsurprisingly, this proposed policy shift is extremely controversial and faces resistance, particularly from the farmers’ unions. Farmers argue that the maintenance of domestic agricultural production is crucial for achieving national food security objectives, in addition to pursuing other aims such as the maintenance of economic activity in rural areas and landscape preservation. Food security, which has been a key policy objective since the end of the Second World War, has been interpreted in Norway as requiring high levels of selfsufficiency in basic agricultural commodities. To achieve this, substantial subsidies are provided to farmers and domestic prices of many commodities are kept at high levels by restricting imports. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that the total financial support provided to Norwegian agriculture in 2015 was equivalent to 62% of the value of gross farm receipts, which made Norway (along with Switzerland) a leader in the amount of support provided to agriculture by the 50 OECD member and non-member countries monitored by the Organization (OECD, 2016). In this paper we analyze policy options for achieving a 40% reduction in agricultural GHG emissions, consistent with the economy-wide target, while imposing the restriction that national food production measured in calories should be maintained (the food security target). This is consistent with the way that the Norwegian government identifies the country’s food security objective. In section 2 we outline the current situation with respect to GHG emissions in Norwegian agriculture. In section 3 we illustrate the policy issues involved by considering two product aggregates that are intensive in the use of land for crop production (grainland) and grassland, respectively. The aggregates are based on data for the main commodities in Norwegian agriculture relating to GHG emissions, land use, caloric content, subsidies, and costs per unit of production. We show that even though the opportunity set (i.e., the production combinations that are possible within technical constraints) is narrow, a 40% cut in emissions is achievable by substituting from ruminant products that are intensive in the use of grassland to products based on grainland. We also show that the emissions reduction both reduces government budgetary costs and land use, i.e., ruminant products are characterized by relatively high subsidies and land use. Two-dimensional analysis ignores the fact that per unit emissions from dairy production are low compared to other ruminant products (i.e., beef and sheep production). Both in terms of production value and agricultural employment, dairy farming is the most important component of Norwegian agriculture. Consequently, milk production deserves to be separated from ruminant meat production. Finally in section 4, we present a detailed analysis 3 of policy options derived from a disaggregated model that includes all the major products in Norwegian agriculture. In the model-based analysis, we examine first the imposition of a carbon tax, while maintaining existing agricultural support policies and import protection, and achieving the food security (production of calories) target. Since the imposition of a carbon tax in agriculture presents both technical and political challenges, we then examine an alternative approach of changing the existing structure of agricultural support to approximate the same result. We show that it is possible to change current subsidy rates to mimic the carbon tax and calorie target solution. The explanation for this is that ruminant products not only generate high emissions per produced calorie, but they are also the most highly subsidized products. Meat from ruminants is relatively unimportant in achieving Norway’s food security objective of calorie availability.

The increase of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become a significant issue for China, affecting the achievement of its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. Expansion of the large-scale multiple cropping system as a consequence of climate warming could be a major driving force of this increase. In this study, life cycle assessment was employed to identify agricultural GHG emissions due to the expansion of the multiple cropping system in the North China Plain and neighboring regions. We found that agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have increased from 41.34 to 120.87 Tg CO2-eq/yr over the past 30 years, and the expansion of the multiple cropping system has contributed to 13.89% of this increment. Furthermore, the increases in straw handling and agricultural inputs which are related to multiple cropping systems have also played an important role. Results of our study demonstrate that the expansion of the multiple cropping system contributes considerably to increases in agricultural GHG emissions in the North China Plain and neighboring regions. Therefore, it can be concluded that the sustained northward expansion of the multiple cropping system will further elevate agricultural GHG emissions in China, and this should be considered while formulating policies to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture.

Advantages of nitrogen fertilizer deep placement in greenhouse gas emissions and net ecosystem economic benefits from no-tillage paddy fields

Energy-related GHG emission in agriculture of the European countries: An application of the Generalized Divisia Index

Dynamic computable general equilibrium simulation of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in China

The greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from agricultural sources have a huge contribution to the greenhouse effect, and the agricultural greenhouse gas emission reduction is urgent to ease the adverse effect of the greenhouse effect. In the study of agricultural carbon emission reduction potential, due to various reasons, the data has a certain uncertainty. In this paper, through the analysis of Hubei Province agricultural greenhouse gas emission reduction measures, combined with the error transfer method, the uncertainty of Hubei Province Agricultural carbon emission reduction potential for quantification and analysis of the source, and put forward to reduce the uncertainty of the method. Through the research, the uncertainty of agricultural carbon emission reduction potential of Hubei province is caused by the uncertainty of the emission factors and the uncertainty of the land area statistic data. These uncertainties can be obtained by accurate land area survey and statistical system, and the large-scale promotion of carbon and emission reduction measures to get more emission factor data to reduce.

Agriculture plays a central role in maintaining food security and achieving sustainable development for human society. It is a challenge for the agricultural sector to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and maintain agricultural production. However, dual-level uncertainties exist in the processes of agricultural GHG accounting and emission reduction management. In this research, an integrated approach for identifying adaptation strategies in agricultural GHG emission reduction management was developed through incorporating life cycle analysis (LCA) of agricultural production into a general mathematical programming model. This approach strengthened the applicability of LCA and the comprehensiveness of programming models in generating agricultural adaptive actions under different GHG emission restriction targets. Also, dual-level uncertainties of LCA and adaptation management can be effectively addressed. A case study was proposed to illustrate application of the approach in Dalian City, China. The results indicated that farming patterns in eight districts would change significantly. The total area of maize fields would account for the primary proportion (i.e., 40–45 %) in its agricultural sector. Rice, peanut and cabbage fields would be the minor contributors in terms of GHG emissions. In addition to effective rainfall (i.e., [156, 259] mm/ha), a certain amount of water would be supplied for agricultural irrigation to maximize the city’s agricultural yields. Compared with other agricultural crops, rice fields would need the largest amount of irrigation water (i.e., [153.72, 277.98] Mt) to meet the requirements of local government plans.

The vast majority of the scientific community believe that anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the predominant cause of climate change. One of the GHG emission sources is agriculture. Following the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines regarding GHG emission calculation, agriculture is responsible for around 10% of the overall global emissions. Agricultural GHG emissions consist of several emission source categories and several GHGs. In this article were described the results of multivariate statistical analyses performed on data gathered during the period 1990–2017 from the inventories of 43 Annex I countries (parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, listed in Annex I of the Convention). Trends in the agricultural GHG emissions were analyzed. Generally, the global agricultural GHG emissions are increasing, while the emissions from Annex I countries are decreasing. Apart from the application of urea, emissions from all other sources, such as enteric fermentation, manure management, rice cultivation, agricultural soils, field burning of agricultural residues, and liming are decreasing. Based on multivariate analysis, the most different countries, in terms of GHG emission sources composition in agriculture and emission trends, are Australia, Japan, New Zealand and USA. The rest of the Annex I countries are mostly from Europe and their shares and trends are similar, with slight differences between countries depending, among others, on the date of joining the European Union.

The decision in 2006 to abolish the agricultural tax, which had lasted for thousands of years, contributed to the prosperity of agriculture, and with it the growing importance of soil N2O emissions in China. However, most of the previous literature ignored soil N2O emissions due to their too small share in total agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper attempts to take soil N2O emissions as an important variable in the measurement of agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP), which incorporates environmental pollution into the analytical framework of agricultural production efficiency. Three impressive results were found. Firstly, soil N2O emissions play an increasingly important role in agricultural GHG emissions. The proportion of soil N2O emissions in agricultural GHG emissions increased from 4.52% in 1998 to 4.83% in 2006, and then to 5.36% in 2016. Secondly, the regional difference of soil N2O emissions in AGTFP is visible. In 2016, although soil N2O emissions accounted for a small proportion (about 5%) of the total agricultural GHG emissions in China, the AGTFP including soil N2O emissions was much lower than that excluding soil N2O emissions, especially in areas with high agricultural and population density. Finally, over time, soil N2O emissions have had an increasing effect on AGTFP. Compared with 1998–2006, the impact of excluding soil N2O emissions on AGTFP in 2007–2016 was more evident than that including soil N2O emissions.