Climate Change Mitigation Practices Research Articles

Soil Carbon: Pool, Loss, Emission and Climate Change Sources and Knowledge Level of Some Land Use Systems in Sudan Savanna, Kwara State

This research work was carried out in Sudan savanna of Kwara State to determine the effects of land use types on soil carbon pool, loss, emission and to determine the farmer’s knowledge level and sources of information on climate change. Six villages were selected randomly and in each Local Government Area, three villages were visited and three farms planted each with maize/cassava intercrop, cashew plantation and natural forest were sampled. Soil samples were collected from the farmland randomly at the depth of 0–20cm and analysed for physical and chemical properties in the laboratory. Carbon pool index was higher under cashew plantation. The mass of carbon lost recorded was higher under maize/cassava intercrop and cashew plantation recorded the lowest mass of carbon lost. Equivalent Carbon dioxide emitted recorded was lower under cashew plantation and maize/cassava intercrop recorded higher equivalent of carbon dioxide emitted. Natural forest had the highest organic carbon. Simple random sampling of 126 respondents were interviewed. Results revealed majority (71.4%) are willing to invest in residue retention and 92.9% are willing to engage in climate change mitigation practices free of charge. Maize/cassava intercrop recorded the lowest carbon pool due to burning of plant residues and the use of tillage practices. The highest carbon pool index recorded under cashew plantation was due to leaves litter decomposition. Carbon emitted was generally higher under maize/cassava intercrop as a result of continuous and vigorous cultivation leading to loss of carbon. Some farmers are not fully aware of climate change mitigation practices, therefore, more observation should be given to afforestation scheme to mitigate climate change and government and nongovernmental organization (NGOs) should educate and encourage farmers to practice crop residue retention and also minimize bush burning.

An introduction to climate change in management education: an individual-level approach

Purpose This study aims to introduce management students to climate change by providing them with an opportunity to address it in their own lives, through a class exercise. Design/methodology/approach An in-class exercise was designed, carried out and described in this study. Student teams were assigned different questions on how to address major causes of climate change. Each team did research to generate answers, and ranked their answers based on the speed of implementation. Teams reported their answers to the class. The instructor facilitated a debriefing session, during which all responses were ranked with respect to other variables, including cost savings, time savings and lifestyle fit. This exercise uses few resources and can be adapted to different time lengths and teaching/learning formats (e.g. on-ground, virtual, asynchronous online). Findings This exercise can help students to gain an understanding of climate change and its causes and complexities. Students learn how to implement a diverse set of personal actions to mitigate climate change; these can start in the present and continue throughout their lives. In addition, this exercise may help students to make the leap from individual climate change mitigation practices to organizational and societal practices, when they are in the position to do so as future leaders. Originality/value Although classes, exercises, and assignments ask management students to consider issues such as climate change at the organizational level, this individual-level exercise can allow students with limited organizational experience to engage more quickly with climate change and better understand organizational and societal implications in the future. That is, if students first understand how to address climate change in their own lives, they may more effectively transfer and apply that understanding at organizational and societal levels and ultimately synthesize solutions to address climate change in the world.

Rural farmers’ perceptions of and adaptations to climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does climate-smart agriculture (CSA) matter in Nigeria and Ethiopia?

AbstractThe available literature has ignored farmers’ perceptions on the benefits and drawbacks of adopting climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in favor of focusing primarily on profitability and economic constraints. We use the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey (ESS) and the General Household Survey from 2018 and 2019 to compare Nigeria and Ethiopia, both of which have sizable rural populations to assess farmers’ climate change perception and their adaptation options in promoting CSA. We first hypothesize that farmers with high tolerance for risk and stable financial resources are more likely to adopt CSA techniques, relying on the adopter perception theory of agricultural innovations and technologies. We address potential selection bias using the Heckman selection model, and estimate our data using multinomial logistic estimator, as well as standard logistic regression for robustness checks. We find that in both Ethiopia and Nigeria, household income and plot size influence farmers’ adaptations to climate change mitigation practices. However, farmers with bigger plots who run the risk of massive production loss tend to adopt measures of coping with climate change. We show that in both Ethiopia and Nigeria, rural farmers’ adaptation decisions are heavily influenced by agricultural extension programs and community social networks. Overall, our work highlights the important role of income, farm size, and climate-related information for investing in climate-smart agricultural methods to curb food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Unlocking nature's hidden treasure: Unveiling forest status, biomass and carbon wealth in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand for climate change mitigation

In the context of present climate change concerns, the quantification of forest biomass and the comprehension of carbon stock distribution within protected areas are of paramount importance for exact carbon budgeting and the development of effective forest management strategies. This study conducted comprehensive field assessments with the primary objective of quantifying tree biomass and carbon stocks, as well as assessing structural attributes of forest stands. These assessments involved the meticulous collection of ground-based data encompassing various structural attributes, including circumference at breast height (CBH), stem height, basal area, stem density, frequency, girth class by utilizing a simple random sampling methodology. The results of this study unveiled substantial variations in all tree structural attributes across different forest stands along altitudinal gradients. Notably, species richness, tree density and species diversity exhibited an upward trend with increasing altitude. The maximum tree species richness (25) and tree density (1068 ± 102.2 individuals ha−1) were recorded at stand-IV, situated between 2200 to 2400 m, however, stand-I exhibited the maximum basal area. The highest aboveground, belowground, total biomass, and carbon stock was estimated in the stand-IV, with values of 279.12 ± 17.56 Mg ha−1, 65.58±11.20 Mg ha−1, 344.70 ± 20.66 Mg ha−1, and 163.73 ± 10.33 Mg ha−1, respectively. The study further revealed a positive correlation between elevation and species richness, biomass, and carbon stock. Additionally, it demonstrated positive correlations between total biomass and carbon stock with species richness, total basal area, and tree density. These findings convey immediate significance for the development and implementation of climate change mitigation policies and practices, particularly within the context of protected areas in the Himalayan landscape.

Exploring the sustainable reporting practices of universities in relation to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for sustainable development

Universities are aware of the imperative of sustainability and are focusing on promoting the aims and principles of sustainable development, such as greening their curriculum, enhancing the environmental performance of their campus and using sustainable criteria in their investment and purchasing behavior. Also, the scope of sustainable development was broadened by the introduction of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda which stipulates new directions for sustainability at a global level. Given this background, this paper examines the level of alignment of universities with the 17 SDGs through an analysis of sustainability reports prepared by universities, in order to highlight the issues which are mostly discussed by universities in relation to SDGs. To do so, an empirical analysis was carried out on a sample of 37 sustainability reports using a methodological framework based on scoring techniques to analyze their content. The findings show that the universities have disclosed more information about climate change mitigation and adaptation practices and less about SDGs regarding quality of education and peace, democracy and strong institutions.

Review of climate change adaptation and mitigation implementation in Canada's forest ecosystems part I: Reporting, science, and institutional/governance supporting practices in Canada

Canada is recognized as a global leader in sustainable forest management. Canadian forests and the forest sector remain vital pillars of the Canadian economy and home to many rural and remote communities. However, climate change is an existential threat to the sustainability of forests and forest-dependent communities. While both direct and indirect threats posed by climate change to Canada's forest sector are now well understood, our understanding of specific forest practices that have emerged from the body of science to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts is not well documented. Through a review of the scientific and grey literature, this study expands our knowledge and operational gaps associated with implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation practices in Canadian forests. The study found a dearth of literature specifically dedicated to reporting on the type of forest practices currently in use across Canada to address mitigation and adaptation. Most reports or studies were published in 2019 or later, with federal and provincial governments being the dominant actors in reporting and monitoring, research, and funding. Across the 15 terrestrial ecozones in Canada, forest practices linked to climate change were reported in 12 ecozones, with most practices reported in the Montane Cordillera located in western Canada. Common forest practices reported include fuel management, assisted migration, enhanced silvicultural activities, and carbon offset projects. We conclude that climate change adaptation/mitigation practices in Canada are in their early stages of implementation. Many practices remain in experimental stages (e.g., genetic trials) or are implemented at a relatively small scale in Canada (e.g., climate-based seed transfer and carbon reserves). The literature suggests that the most mainstream practices associated with climate change mitigation in Canada include tree planting for carbon sequestration and the designation of protected areas to enhance ecosystem resilience. We conclude that despite increasing reports linking climate change benefits with reported forest practices, the reporting in the scientific literature is scarce, poorly reported, and often not grounded in credible evidence.

Farmers' adaptation and mitigation practices in the Upper Rhine Valley: Drivers, synergies and trade‐offs

AbstractThrough semi‐structured interviews, this work analyses the motives and drivers leading wine growers and crop farmers in the Upper Rhine Valley (France, Germany, Switzerland) to adopt climate change adaptation and mitigation practices. We show that the main motive is to adapt, seen from an individual and reactive point of view. However, these practices sometimes also bring negative side effects in the long term or on other actors, and considering other problematics. On the contrary, other farmers’ thinking is more anticipatory and they pay more attention to the common good. Nevertheless, they are not necessarily the most successful in adaptation in the short term as they often are more affected. This shows the limits of the concept of adaptation, as centred on individuals and eluding issues that are not related to climate change. That is why we prefer considering system transitions, taking into account the interactions between the diverse problematics and actors.

Hydroclimatic trend analysis and projection in Africa tropical urban regions: Cases of Lusaka, Zambia and Kigali, Rwanda

The global climate has significantly changed primarily due to human-induced activities. The incidences of droughts and extreme floods followed by destruction have been appearing across the globe along with extensive effects on economic and public health sectors, including the human lives losses whereby, Africa is among the greatly affected regions. Several studies aver that weather-related extremes are likely to increase due to the rising impacts. This article aims to emerge the effects of a warning climate on temperature and precipitation patterns in African tropical regions for pre-emptive adaptation practices. It was conducted using nonparametric Mann-Kendall's test and Sen's slope estimator coupled with the downscaled global climate models (NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 GCMs). The study shows that the annual precipitation in Lusaka keeps decreasing though the rainfall season showed an increasing possibility. The projection under ssp245 showed a slight rainfall decrement but increased by the mid-century under ssp585. Besides, the rainfall in Kigali, presents an excess increment resulting in increased extreme events. The projection showed up to 40% annual rainfall increment by the end-century under ssp585. However, both the regions present a slight trend increment in maximum and minimum temperature. Henceforth, the results of this study may prove useful in climate change mitigation and adaptation practices on rainfed agriculture, hydroelectricity, water supply systems, and resilient hydraulic infrastructure provision in the region.

Climate-Change-Driven Droughts and Tree Mortality: Assessing the Potential of UAV-Derived Early Warning Metrics

Protecting and enhancing forest carbon sinks is considered a natural solution for mitigating climate change. However, the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts due to climate change can threaten the stability and growth of existing forest carbon sinks. Extreme droughts weaken plant hydraulic systems, can lead to tree mortality events, and may reduce forest diversity, making forests more vulnerable to subsequent forest disturbances, such as forest fires or pest infestations. Although early warning metrics (EWMs) derived using satellite remote sensing data are now being tested for predicting post-drought plant physiological stress and mortality, applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are yet to be explored extensively. Herein, we provide twenty-four prospective approaches classified into five categories: (i) physiological complexities, (ii) site-specific and confounding (abiotic) factors, (iii) interactions with biotic agents, (iv) forest carbon monitoring and optimization, and (v) technological and infrastructural developments, for adoption, future operationalization, and upscaling of UAV-based frameworks for EWM applications. These UAV considerations are paramount as they hold the potential to bridge the gap between field inventory and satellite remote sensing for assessing forest characteristics and their responses to drought conditions, identifying and prioritizing conservation needs of vulnerable and/or high-carbon-efficient tree species for efficient allocation of resources, and optimizing forest carbon management with climate change adaptation and mitigation practices in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Action‐ versus results‐based policy designs for agricultural climate change mitigation

AbstractReducing agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is key to achieve overall climate policy goals. Effective and efficient policy instruments are needed to incentivize farmers' adoption of on‐farm climate change mitigation practices. We compare action‐ and results‐based policy designs for GHG reduction in agriculture and account for farmers' heterogeneous behavioral characteristics such as individual farming preferences, reluctance to change and social interactions. An agent‐based bio‐economic modeling approach is used to simulate total GHG reduction, overall governmental spending and farm‐level marginal abatement cost of Swiss dairy and beef cattle farms under both action‐ and results‐based policy designs. We find that total governmental spending associated with the compared policy designs depends on the cost and benefits of the considered measures as well as behavioral characteristics of farmers. More precisely, if farmers are reluctant to change, additional incentives are needed to increase adoption of a win‐win measure. In such a case, targeting the payment on the cost of that particular measure (action‐based design) instead of paying a uniform amount for abated emissions (results‐based design) can lower governmental spending for agricultural climate change mitigation. Farm‐level marginal cost of reducing GHG emissions are lower with results‐based payments independent of the cost of measures. Moreover, we find that farmers' individual preferences and reluctance to change substantially lower the adoption of mitigation measures and hence overall GHG reduction potential of farms.

No farmer no food, assessing farmers climate change mitigation, and adaptation behaviors in farm production

The climatic events and increasing population are impacting the food system's resilience. The significance of a looming food crisis may be more pronounced in a country like Pakistan. Therefore, to manage farm production sustainably, this research infers the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory to analyze small growers' pro-environmental adaptation and mitigation behaviors on the farm. The data of 250 samples were collected from the Sindh province of Pakistan. We applied the partial least squire modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the farmers' pro-environmental behaviors towards climate change mitigation and adaptation practices in farm productions. The results provide evidence that farmers' pro-environmental personal norms R2(80.2%), explain mitigation attitudes (41.2%), and (29.0%) adaptation behaviors of growers. All antecedents of VBN theory reveal robustness and significantly positive relationships except for egoistic values. Thus, pro-environmental personal norms predicted the farmers-orientation behaviors significantly toward the climate variability adaptation practices and mitigation attitudes. Moreover, findings indicate that the VBN theory enacts well when expounding altruistic values and biospheric values of farmers' mitigation attitudes and adaptation behaviors. Despite guaranteeing food security, this research suggests designing policy tools to encourage small growers' pro-environmental behaviors in response to climatic changes to increase sustainable agricultural production in the region.

Resiliency Efforts of Residents in Disaster-Prone Communities: A Pre-Pandemic Perspective

Climate change is a major, global threat that needs to be addressed with heavy attention. The government is the backbone of decision-making and policy-crafting so strong political intervention in this context will be a leap toward sustainable development. Community engagement also weighs the same as that of the political aspect in mainstreaming climate change. The effects of climate change- increase in intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones, drive vulnerability and exposure of many people to climate-related hazards (Lasco, 2012). With these, this paper is aimed to explore the climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCAM) practices of residents in coastal barangays in Tacloban City- ways on how they adapt to and mitigate climate change. Using purposive random sampling and descriptive statistics, results showed that there were respondents who did not know the effects of climate change. While it could not suffice to conclude their level of knowledge of climate change, it could be an indicator of a poor understanding of climate change. A more all-inclusive information and education campaign using local language and their most accessible media. Solutions to water scarcity, transport, and livelihood challenges should also be made to address the large number of respondents who were moving back to their original places from the relocation site. On another note, a high level of practice of climate change adaptation and mitigation was noted among them; most of them were aware of the existence of environmental protection ordinances while others had participated in and expressed the importance of the disaster drills. Keywords: climate change, mitigation, resiliency, adaptations, practices

Climate change awareness and mitigation practices in small and medium‐sized enterprises: Evidence from Swiss firms

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to investigate climate change awareness and mitigation effort and their associated motivating and limiting factors to pro‐environmental behavior and firm demographics in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Switzerland. For this purpose, a questionnaire was developed, conducted, and analyzed on motivating and limiting factors along with firm demographics, using descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares (OLS) and ordered probit regression models. The results show that Swiss SMEs are in general aware of climate change and their resulting consequences. SMEs have taken steps to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through recycling, reduction of energy and water consumption, and use of recycled packaging. SMEs could however improve their environmental impact through low‐carbon means of transport and use of public transport, sustainable raw material inputs, sustainable energy sources, and setting environmental goals and audits. There was a positive association between climate change awareness and mitigation. Motivating factors to pro‐environmental behavior included financial advantage and responsibility towards the environment, while firm size and human resources were limiting factors. Lastly, different mitigation measures might be influenced by different motivating and limiting factors including financial advantage and pressure from interest groups, as well as firm size.

Farmers’ social networks and regional spillover effects in agricultural climate change mitigation

Climate change poses a severe threat to global agricultural production and rural livelihoods, and since agriculture itself is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it can also play an important role in climate change mitigation. This article investigates how farmers’ social networks influence the adoption of on-farm mitigation strategies. More precisely, we use a network autocorrelation model to explore the relationship between a farmer’s own mitigation behavior and the mitigation behavior and knowledge of his fellow farmers. The analysis is based on a regional case study in Switzerland and uses data obtained from personal network interviews combined with survey and census data of 50 farmers. Half of them are members of a local collective action initiative for agricultural climate change mitigation, while the others do not participate in the initiative. We find that, on average, farmers with a larger network adopt more mitigation measures, and furthermore, mitigation adoption is linked with the level of knowledge within farmers’ networks. Indeed, the likelihood that non-members will adopt mitigation measures increases if they are closely associated with members of the collective action, suggesting a local spillover effect. It follows that strengthening knowledge exchange among farmers and supporting local farmers’ initiatives can potentially contribute to the diffusion of agricultural climate change mitigation practices.

Climate change in the Tunisian cities: lessons learned and best practices

The aim of this policy paper is to characterize the current situation of Tunisian municipalities in matters of climate change policies and actions and to understand the barriers and best practices. By surveying municipalities in Tunisia, we were able to provide an overview of the Tunisian municipalities in matters of climate change actions and strategies, as well as finding the main barriers and best practices. First, we found that most Tunisian municipalities are facing different effects of climate change. Second, the majority of municipalities do not have a strategy for mitigation and adaptation of climate change at the local level. Third, the main barrier that municipalities face in investing in climate change actions is the lack of financial resources and funding. Four, we have identified some of the best climate change mitigation and adaptation practices of surveyed cities, which should be taken into consideration and implemented also by the other cities.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10018-022-00353-x.

Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation Practices, and Business Performance in Brazilian Industrial Companies

This study sought to analyze the level of adopted climate change mitigation and adaptation practices and their relationship with the performance of Brazilian industrial companies. The data were collected through an e-survey in 40 Brazilian industrial companies linked to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistical methods. Mitigation and adaptation practices were adopted as independent variables against climate change, while performance parameters (financial, innovative, production, market, and export performance) were included as the dependent variables. Our findings indicate that Brazilian industrial companies have been adopting both corporate practices of mitigation and adaptation to climate change and show that there are relationships between mitigation and adaptation practices and different dimensions of corporate performance. This study contributes to scientific advancement and developing a theoretical model that addresses, in an integrated manner, managing climate change adaptation and mitigation practices and corporate performance.

Climate Change Mitigation Practices And Business Performance In Brazilian Industrial Companies

Objective: To analyze the relationship between climate change mitigation practices and the performance of Brazilian industrial companies. Theoretical framework: According to Felgenhauer and Webster (2013), mitigation is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Adopting sustainable practices in the context of climate change can influence its position in the market through business reputation and market legitimacy (Brammer & Pavelin, 2006). Method: This study is characterized as exploratory and descriptive with a qualitative and quantitative stage through an e-survey with 39 Brazilian companies in the industrial sector. The independent variables adopted were mitigation practices, and the dependent variables were financial, innovative, production, market, and export performance. Results and conclusion: Existing relationships between mitigation practices and different dimensions of business performance were identified, especially concerning innovation. There is also evidence that actions to control greenhouse gas emissions can lead to financial, image, and productivity gains. Implications of the study: Understanding the mitigation practices adopted by industrial companies contributes to disseminating these practices and can provide a basis for other companies. Moreover, understanding the relevance and benefits of adopting these practices favors mitigating social and environmental impacts on society. Originality/value: Developing a model integrating mitigation practices and business performance can be considered a theoretical contribution, since, in the literature, there are initiatives that treat the themes unilaterally.

Assessment of agricultural emissions, climate change mitigation and adaptation practices in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The agricultural sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Ethiopia, as it is the basis of the economy and the primary source of employment. This study investigated the implementation of mitigation and adaptation practices in smallholder farms in Ethiopia, estimated GHG emissions associated with mitigation practices, and identified potential mitigation options and barriers and enabling factors for implementation. Twenty-five smallholder farmers were selected by a local development agency and interviewed in the field about their land use and land management practices and the Mitigation Options Tool (MOT) was used to estimate GHG emissions, to identify mitigation options and co-benefits, and as a platform for promoting learning and knowledge exchange across different types of stakeholders. All farmers interviewed in the field acknowledged changes in the climate, but only some were implementing adaptation practices to cope with such changes, namely, crop rotations, planting new crop types, and the early sowing of crops. Fewer mitigation practices were implemented, namely reduced tillage and application of manure in cereal crops and potatoes. These practices were mainly implemented because of their benefits for soil conservation (e.g. fertility, soil water holding capacity, yield stabilization, erosion avoidance) rather than for mitigation (carbon sequestration) purposes. Greenhouse gas emissions from the application of synthetic fertilizer to crops, and from livestock production varied widely across farmers depending on the amount of fertilizer applied and the number and type of livestock raised. Tenancy rights and extension services were identified as potential enablers of the adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation practices by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, and competing uses for straw was a potential barrier for the incorporation of residues in the soil. Barriers and enabling factors should be assessed thoroughly through further engagement with farmers as well as data on the amount of organic matter added to the soil, as these practices have co-benefits in terms of soil conservation, which are especially relevant for climate change adaptation in semi-dry climates. The MOT could be used in the future as a facilitator for knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners in Ethiopia, and in other developing countries where data availability is low, to support the identification of effective climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. Key policy insights Climate change mitigation practices in agriculture can provide co-benefits for adaptation and food security, including the stabilization of crop yields, especially in semi-dry climates; more evidence about these co-benefits is needed. The systematic collection of data on manure and crop residues should be supported as a priority as well as the identification of implementation barriers for mitigation and adaptation practices. Smallholder farmers need to be engaged throughout any assessment of climate change mitigation potential to raise awareness, identify co-benefits of possible actions, and to identify and address barriers for implementation. Tenancy rights and extension services are potential enabling factors for the adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. In developing countries, user-friendly tools such as the MOT can promote learning and knowledge exchange across diverse stakeholder groups about the impact of land use and management options on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Level of Knowledge of Agricultural Science Graduate Students about Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Practices of Agriculture

Climate change (CC) is a global environmental problem and source of concern. Effective planning and implementation of CC mitigation and adaptation may arise from knowledge of its causes and effects. Therefore, dissemination of knowledge is highly important for ensuring that the knowledge grows and spreads amongst the various stakeholders and that it is turned into action. The students of today are the leaders and policy makers of tomorrow. They will effectively serve as change agents once their knowledge base has been well established. This study provides analysis of graduate students' level of knowledge of CC, its nature, causes, effects, mitigation, and adaptation. The study population was 57 agricultural science master's students in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences in Jarash University, Jordan, and the sample consisted of 50 of those students. The study used online test as the knowledge assessment and data collection tool. Frequency distribution analysis uncovered that the sample students possess high level of general knowledge of CC, moderate level of knowledge of mitigation of CC, and high level of knowledge of adaptation to CC. As to the three investigated facets of general knowledge of CC, these students have high levels of knowledge of the nature and the effects of CC and moderate level of knowledge of its causes. These findings contribute to understanding of students' knowledge achievements and gaps and of the need for curricular reform in terms of structure and content that can be shared by agricultural science faculties around the World with similar CC graduate programs.

Impacts of supply-side climate change mitigation practices and trade policy regimes under dietary transition: the case of European agriculture

The European Union’s Green Deal proposal and Farm to Fork strategy call for both demand and supply measures to reduce emissions from the food system. While research clearly illustrates the importance of dietary transitions, impacts of potential supply-side measures are not well understood in relation to competitiveness concerns and leakage effects. This study assesses trade and GHG emission impacts of two supply-side mitigation strategies (intensification vs. extensification) in the EU, UK and Switzerland (EU + 2), against a 2050 baseline featuring healthy/sustainable diets adopted by European consumers. To capture potential leakage effects arising from changing external trade flows, the two supply-side strategies are assessed against three trade policy regimes (i.e. status quo, regional trade liberalization with and without border carbon adjustment), resulting in six scenarios formulated with detailed inputs from the EUCalc model and other literature and simulated with a purported-designed CGE model. Results show that intensification, while improving the EU + 2’s external trade balance, does not reduce emissions in the EU + 2, compared to the baseline. In contrast, extensification leads to a substantial emission abatement that augments reductions from the assumed dietary transition in the baseline, resulting in a combined 31% agricultural emission reduction in EU + 2 during 2014–2050. However, this is at the expense of reduced net agrifood exports by US$25 billion compared to the baseline and significant carbon leakage at a rate of 48% (i.e. nearly half of agricultural emission reduction in the EU + 2 ‘leaked’ to elsewhere). Furthermore, implementing the EU + 2’s prospective regional trade agreements results in increased territorial emissions. Although a border carbon adjustment by the EU + 2 can improve its trade balance and partially shift mitigation burdens to other countries, the associated reductions in global emissions (and carbon leakage) would be marginal. Finally, different trade and emission effects are identified between the crop and livestock sectors, pointing to the desirability of a mixed agriculture system with intensified livestock sector and extensified crop agriculture in the EU + 2 that balances emission reduction goals and competitiveness concerns.