Greenhouse mitigation strategies for agronomic and grazing lands of the US Southern Great Plains

Major US electric utility climate pledges have the potential to collectively reduce power sector emissions by one-third

ABSTRACTPorts as an industry account for ∼3% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. The Port of Chennai, India, uses an enormous amount of electricity and diesel for intermodal transportation of goods and for other essential services. The inventory of GHG emissions in the Port of Chennai is made by accounting the various facilities of the port along with the housing colony and fishing harbor which come under the management of the Port of Chennai. Quantification of GHG emissions is made following the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and World Port Climate Initiative (WPCI). The estimation of GHG emissions showed that 280,558 tonnes of CO2e/year was generated from the port and port-related facilities. Several GHG mitigation strategies and their impact are quantified and discussed. The technology suggestions presented in the paper will be very useful to plan effective mitigation strategies incorporating technological advancement and management policies.

The accurate quantification of the carbon footprints of animal products and the related development of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies are of interest to consumers, the general public, and the academic community. The objective of this review was to summarize recent advances in GHG emission quantification, life‐cycle assessment applications, and mitigation technologies for animal production in the USA, to assist the development of system‐based solutions for mitigation of GHG emissions from animal production. The GHG emissions from animal production mainly come from feed production, enteric fermentation, and manure management. Opportunities to mitigate emissions from feed production largely rely on continuous improvements in animal and feed production efficiency. This is in general agreement with the economic interest of the industry. To mitigate emissions from manure, many technologies can be chosen, depending on the given economic and regulatory environments. It is possible to minimize GHG emissions from manure through manure energy recovery when this is economically feasible. For enteric emissions, there are limited opportunities to reduce GHG emissions through dietary manipulation, feed management, or feed supplementations. Improving environmental stewardship of consumers and reducing food waste will reduce animal protein demand and are important bottom‐line strategies to mitigate GHG from animal production systems. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Energy-related activities are a major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A growing body of knowledge clearly depicts the links between human activities and climate change. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil and other human activities has released carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other heat-trapping GHG emissions into the atmosphere and thus increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2 emissions. The main human activities that emit CO2 emissions are (1) the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, accounting for about 37% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 31% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, (2) the combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 26% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, and (3) industrial processes such as the production and consumption of minerals and chemicals, accounting for about 15% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 12% of total ...

Better information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation potential in the agricultural sector is necessary to manage these emissions and identify responses that are consistent with the food security and economic development priorities of countries. Critical activity data (what crops or livestock are managed in what way) are poor or lacking for many agricultural systems, especially in developing countries. In addition, the currently available methods for quantifying emissions and mitigation are often too expensive or complex or not sufficiently user friendly for widespread use.The purpose of this focus issue is to capture the state of the art in quantifying greenhouse gases from agricultural systems, with the goal of better understanding our current capabilities and near-term potential for improvement, with particular attention to quantification issues relevant to smallholders in developing countries. This work is timely in light of international discussions and negotiations around how agriculture should be included in efforts to reduce and adapt to climate change impacts, and considering that significant climate financing to developing countries in post-2012 agreements may be linked to their increased ability to identify and report GHG emissions (Murphy et al 2010, CCAFS 2011, FAO 2011).

Brazilian cattle production is mostly carried out in pastures, and the need to mitigate the livestock's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its environmental footprint has become an important requirement. The adoption of well-suited breeds and the intensification of pasture-based livestock production systems are alternatives to optimize the sector's land use. However, further research on tropical systems is necessary. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of Holstein (HO) and Jersey–Holstein (JE x HO) crossbred cows in different levels of pasture intensification (continuous grazing system with low stocking rate–CLS; irrigated rotational grazing system with high stocking rate–RHS), and the interaction between these two factors on GHG mitigation. Twenty-four HO and 24 JE x HO crossbred dairy cows were used to evaluate the effect of two grazing systems on milk production and composition, soil GHG emissions, methane (CH4) emission, and soil carbon accumulation (0–100 cm). These variables were used to calculate carbon balance (CB), GHG emission intensity, the number of trees required to mitigate GHG emission, and the land-saving effect. The number of trees necessary to mitigate GHG emission was calculated, considering the C balance within the farm gate. The mitigation of GHG emissions comes from the annual growth rate and accumulation of C in eucalyptus trees' trunks. The CB of all systems and genotypes presented a deficit in carbon (C); there was no difference for genotypes, but RHS was more deficient than CLS (-4.99 to CLS and −28.72 to RHS ton CO2e..ha−1.year−1). The deficit of C on GHG emission intensity was similar between genotypes and higher for RHS (−0.480 to RHS and −0.299 to CLS kg CO2e..kg FCPCmilk−1). Lower GHG removals (0.14 to CLS higher than 0.02 to RHS kg CO2e..kg FCPCmilk−1) had the greatest influence on the GHG emission intensity of milk production. The deficit number of trees to abatement emissions was higher to HO (−46.06 to HO and −38.37 trees/cow to JE x HO) and to RHS (−51.9 to RHS and −33.05 trees/cow to CLS). However, when the results are expressed per ton of FCPCmilk, there was a difference only between pasture management, requiring −6.34 tree. ton FCPCmilk−1 for the RHS and −3.99 tree. ton FCPCmilk−1 for the CLS system. The intensification of pastures resulted in higher milk production and land-saving effect of 2.7 ha. Due to the reservation of the pasture-based dairy systems in increasing soil C sequestration to offset the GHG emissions, especially enteric CH4, planting trees can be used as a mitigation strategy. Also, the land-save effect of intensification can contribute to the issue, since the area spared through the intensification in pasture management becomes available for reforestation with commercial trees.

In Nigeria, rice remains a major staple food source for the rapidly growing population of an estimated 210 million people. However, traditional rice production carried out in flooded soil is associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly anthropogenic methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in Nigeria. Both CH4 and N2O are harmful GHGs that raise the temperature of the planet by retaining heat in the atmosphere. Reduction of GHG emissions is critical, and understanding farmers' knowledge of GHG emission mitigation strategies would be crucial to reducing emissions from rice fields and producing rice in a cleaner environment. Incidentally, there is a dearth of empirical evidence in the current debate. The absence of this study creates a gap in research and makes it extremely pertinent that the study be systematically undertaken. Our study described the socio-economic characteristics of the rice farmers and ascertained their knowledge level on GHG mitigation strategies. We utilized questionnaire and focused group discussion (FGD) as the primary methods of data collection. Descriptive statistics and mean score analysis were used to analyze the data collected. On average, we found that the rice farmers were 45 years old. Most (72%) were male. Only 31% of the farmers had contacted extension agents and were visited twice per calendar year. We found that among various GHG emission mitigation strategies identified in the area, the farmers had significant knowledge of the use of Aerobic Rice Varieties (ARV) (x̄ = 3.61; σ = 0.87) but low knowledge of the use of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) (x̄ = 1.88; σ = 0.45). Our findings confirmed the incidence of GHG emissions in rice fields and that farmers have started practicing GHG mitigation strategies to reduce emissions from rice in the area. However, among various constraints, our study observed that inadequate technical know-how is negatively challenging rice farmers’ capacity to implement and scale-up GHG emissions mitigation strategies. Therefore, our study recommends that the government should strengthen and support agricultural extension service systems to enable them to visit farmers’ farms regularly to transmit and build farmers capacity in the use of recent GHG emission mitigation strategies and innovations in rice fields.

Preface Field Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation in Cropping Systems 1. Quantifying Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Agricultural Soils and Management Impacts S. J. Del Grosso and W. J. Parton 2. Nitrogen Source Effects on Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Irrigated Cropping Systems in Colorado A. D. Halvorson and S. J. Del Grosso 3. Nitrous Oxide Emissions at the Surface of Agricultural Soils in the Red River Valley of the North, U.S.A. Rebecca L. Phillips and Cari D. Ficken 4. Exchange Fluxes of NOX, NH3, and N2O from Typical Wheat, Paddy, and Maize Fields in the Yangtze River Delta and North China Plain Yuanyuan Zhang, Shuangxi Fang, Junfeng Liu, and Yujing Mu 5. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Rice Cropping Systems W. R. Horwath 6. Understanding Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Croplands in China Zucong Cai and Xiaoyuan Yan 7. Redox Potential Control on Cumulative Global Warming Potentials from Irrigated Rice Fields Kewei Yu 8. Fertilizer Nitrogen Management To Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions in the U.S. Robert L. Mikkelsen and Clifford S. Snyder 9. Physical and Chemical Manipulation of Urea Fertilizer To Limit the Emission of Reactive Nitrogen Species M. I. Khalil 10. Mitigation Options for Methane and Nitrous Oxide from Agricultural Soil: From Field Measurement to Evaluation of Overall Effectiveness Hiroko Akiyama, Yoshitaka Uchida, and Akinori Yamamoto 11. Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer Types on Nitrous Oxide Emissions Martin Burger and Rodney T. Venterea 12. Discerning Agricultural Management Effects on Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Conventional and Alternative Cropping Systems: A California Case Study E. C. Suddick, K. Steenwerth, G. M. Garland, D. R. Smart, and J. Six 13. N2O Emissions and Water Management in California Perennial Crops David R. Smart, M. Mar Alsina, Michael W. Wolff, Michael G. Matiasek, Daniel L. Schellenberg, John P. Edstrom, Patrick H. Brown, and Kate M. Scow 14. Global Nitrous Oxide Emissions: Sources and Opportunities for Mitigation R. M. Rees 15. Climate Impacts from Agricultural Emissions: Greenhouse Species and Aerosols Jeffrey S. Gaffney, Nancy A. Marley, and John E. Frederick Modeling of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation in Cropping Systems 16. Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agroecosystems: Scientific Basis and Modeling Approach Changsheng Li 17. Soil Organic Matter Cycling and Greenhouse Gas Accounting Methodologies S. J. Del Grosso, S. M. Ogle, and W. J. Parton 18. Emissions of Nitrous Oxide from Agriculture: Responses to Management and Climate Change M. Abdalla, P. Smith, and M. Williams 19. Assessing the Environmental Impact of Agriculture in Europe: The Indicator Database for European Agriculture Adrian Leip 20. Development of Spatial Inventory of Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Agricultural Land Uses in California Using Biogeochemical Modeling Lei Guo, Dongmin Luo, Changsheng Li, and Michael FitzGibbon Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation in Animal Systems 21. Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources from Beef and Dairy Production Systems in the United States Kimberly R. Stackhouse, Sara E. Place, Michelle S. Calvo, Qian Wang, and Frank M. Mitloehner 22. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Cattle Feedlot Manure Composting and Anaerobic Digestion as a Potential Mitigation Strategy Brandon Gilroyed, Xiying Hao, Francis J. Larney, and Tim A. McAllister 23. Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Beef and Dairy Production Systems Sara E. Place, Kim R. Stackhouse, Qian Wang, and Frank M. Mitloehner 24. Improved Productivity Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Animal Agriculture Judith L. Capper 25. Evaluation of Poultry Litter Fertilization Practices on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dexter B. Watts, H. Allen Torbert, and Thomas R. Way 26. Quantification and Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Dairy Farms Hamed M. El-Mashad and Ruihong Zhang Editors' Biographies Indexes Author Index Subject Index

<p><strong>Background</strong>. Feeding cattle in small-scale silage-based dairy production systems can improve their production efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. <strong>Objective</strong>. To determine the effect of partial replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage on the concentration of secondary metabolites in terms of Total Phenols (TP), Total Tannins (TT), and Condensed Tannins (CT), as well as to estimate methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. <strong>Methodology</strong>. The treatments were analyzed with a split-plot experimental design where the treatments (main plot) were; T1 = 50% sorghum silage cv Top Green + 50% corn silage, T2 = 50% sorghum silage cv Caña Dulce + 50% corn silage, T3 = 100% corn silage cv Cenzontle (control), and the measurement periods were the minor plots. <strong>Results</strong>. Inclusion of sorghum silage decreased enteric methane and carbon dioxide emissions (P<0.05), even though the concentration of phytochemical compounds among cultivars was not variable (P>0.05). <strong>Implications</strong>. Understanding the impact of changing forage chemical composition on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in dairy systems is an important issue for mitigating climate change. <strong>Conclusions</strong>. The inclusion of sorghum silage in this study slightly reduced enteric methane and carbon dioxide emissions. Under these conditions, it is suggested that more information be provided on greenhouse gas emission factors and mitigation strategies in small-scale production systems.</p>

Abstract. We report on 10 yr of airborne measurements of atmospheric CO2 mole fraction from continuous and flask systems, collected between 2002 and 2012 over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facility in the US Southern Great Plains (SGP). These observations were designed to quantify trends and variability in atmospheric mole fraction of CO2 and other greenhouse gases with the precision and accuracy needed to evaluate ground-based and satellite-based column CO2 estimates, test forward and inverse models, and help with the interpretation of ground-based CO2 mole-fraction measurements. During flights, we measured CO2 and meteorological data continuously and collected flasks for a rich suite of additional gases: CO2, CO, CH4, N2O, 13CO2, carbonyl sulfide (COS), and trace hydrocarbon species. These measurements were collected approximately twice per week by small aircraft (Cessna 172 initially, then Cessna 206) on a series of horizontal legs ranging in altitude from 460 m to 5500 m a.m.s.l. Since the beginning of the program, more than 400 continuous CO2 vertical profiles have been collected (2007–2012), along with about 330 profiles from NOAA/ESRL 12-flask (2006–2012) and 284 from NOAA/ESRL 2-flask (2002–2006) packages for carbon cycle gases and isotopes. Averaged over the entire record, there were no systematic differences between the continuous and flask CO2 observations when they were sampling the same air, i.e., over the one-minute flask-sampling time. Using multiple technologies (a flask sampler and two continuous analyzers), we documented a mean difference of < 0.2 ppm between instruments. However, flask data were not equivalent in all regards; horizontal variability in CO2 mole fraction within the 5–10 min legs sometimes resulted in significant differences between flask and continuous measurement values for those legs, and the information contained in fine-scale variability about atmospheric transport was not captured by flask-based observations. The CO2 mole fraction trend at 3000 m a.m.s.l. was 1.91 ppm yr−1 between 2008 and 2010, very close to the concurrent trend at Mauna Loa of 1.95 ppm yr−1. The seasonal amplitude of CO2 mole fraction in the free troposphere (FT) was half that in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) (~ 15 ppm vs. ~ 30 ppm) and twice that at Mauna Loa (approximately 8 ppm). The CO2 horizontal variability was up to 10 ppm in the PBL and less than 1 ppm at the top of the vertical profiles in the FT.

Fuel conservation and GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions mitigation scenarios for China’s passenger vehicle fleet

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by adopting anaerobic digestion technology on dairy, sow and pig farms in Finland

We used the Agriculture and Land Use National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Software to estimate the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Nigerian agriculture sector in 2010. We went ahead to project future GHG emissions up to 2050. Two alternative GHG mitigation scenarios such as moderate (MS) and aggressive (AS) scenarios were developed and examined. Our results showed that total GHG emissions from Nigerian agriculture in 2010 were around 34.9million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. GHG emissions from livestock accounted for about 69.2 % of the total emissions, making it the largest source of GHG emissions in the sector. Nigeria's agriculture GHG emissions are expected to increase by 94 % in 2050 relative to 2010 levels. Mitigation strategies in the Nigerian agriculture sector that do not compromise food security are limited. However, with the implementation of different GHG mitigation strategies in the alternative scenarios, emissions are expected to fall by around 13.2 % and 26.7 % by 2050 in the MS and AS, respectively, compared to the baseline scenario. While the mitigation potentials are significant, we argue that robust and dedicated policies are required to accelerate climate-smart agriculture in Nigeria.

Smallholder farmers struggle to achieve food security in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is urgently required to find appropriate practices for enhancing crop production while avoiding large increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in SSA. This review aims to identify common smallholder farming practices for enhancing crop production, to assess how these affect GHG emissions and to identify strategies that not only enhance crop production but also mitigate GHG emissions in SSA. To increase crop production and ensure food security, smallholder farmers usually expand agricultural land, develop water harvesting and irrigation techniques and increase cropping intensity and fertilizer use. These practices may result in changing carbon stocks and GHG emissions, potentially creating trade-offs between food security and GHG mitigation. Agricultural land expansion at the expense of forests is the most dominant source of GHG emissions in SSA. While water harvesting and irrigation can increase soil organic carbon, they can trigger GHG emissions. Increasing cropping intensity can enhance the decomposition of soil organic matter, thus releasing carbon dioxide. Increasing nitrogen fertilizer use can enhance soil organic carbon, but also leads to increasing nitrous oxide emissions. An integrated land, water and nutrient management strategy is necessary to enhance crop production and mitigate GHG emissions. Among the most relevant strategies found, agroforesty practices in degraded and marginal lands could replace expanding agricultural croplands. In addition, water management, via adequate rainwater harvesting and irrigation techniques, together with appropriate nutrient management should be considered. Therefore, a land-water-nutrient nexus (LWNN) approach will enable an integrated and sustainable solution to increasing crop production and mitigating GHG emissions. Various technical, economic and policy barriers hinder implementing the LWNN approach on the ground, but these may be overcome through developing appropriate technologies, disseminating them through farmer to farmer approaches and developing specific policies to address smallholder land tenure issues and motivate long-term investment.

Roadmapping green economic restructuring: A Ricardian gradient approach