Evaluating the Cost of Food in a Carbon Constrained Economy

Author(s):  
Kelly M. Twomey ◽  
Michael E. Webber

Although consensus has not been reached regarding the most efficient mechanism to curb anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, rising concern over the consequences of global climate change and consequent shifts in public and political sentiment suggest that carbon legislation will be instituted in the US in the near future. The recent climate change bill passed in the House of Representatives titled The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454) includes provisions for a cap-and-trade system intended to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions 83% by 2050. Consequently, it is likely that some means of carbon pricing will take effect that will make it more expensive to emit greenhouse gases. In a carbon constrained economy, it will become increasingly important to consider every stage of food production and consumption in order to evaluate the potential opportunities for emission reductions. This analysis uses Life-Cycle Assessment to estimate the social cost of food production by quantifying the associated negative externalities under a range of potential carbon prices, using meat and grain as examples. It concludes that 0.42 and 16.0 kg of lifecycle CO2e are embedded in 1 kg of grain and beef production, respectively. Consequently, the marginal cost associated with the emissions caused by grain production under a carbon price range of $10 and $85 per t CO2e is estimated to be between $.004 and $0.036 per kg of grain. By comparison, the estimated marginal cost associated with beef production over the same range of carbon pricing is $0.16 and $1.36 per kg of beef. Considering that the US produces 12 billion kg of beef per year, this range indicates that the carbon cost of beef production alone might fall anywhere between $1.9 and $16.3 billion per year, depending on whether and how a carbon price is applied. This uncertainty and potential carbon price could significantly impact the cost of carbon-intensive foods.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 1950002 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUNGUANG CHEN ◽  
MARC A. C. HAFSTEAD

The United States is currently on pace to fall well short of its promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26–28%, relative to 2005, by 2025, under the UN Framework and Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement, even if President Trump did not eliminate most Obama-era climate regulations. However, there still exists interest in reducing emissions, especially from some members of Congress, and there are a number of federal policy options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if Congress (or a new administration in 2021) so chooses. In this paper, we show that a federal economy-wide carbon tax on US carbon dioxide emissions could significantly contribute to the reductions necessary to fulfill the US international climate commitments. Using a detailed multi-sector computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, we predict the carbon price paths that would be necessary to meet the 28% emissions target and show the economic costs of such carbon-pricing policies. We then demonstrate how both the price paths and associated costs change if action is delayed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 234-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia H. Vetter ◽  
Tek B. Sapkota ◽  
Jon Hillier ◽  
Clare M. Stirling ◽  
Jennie I. Macdiarmid ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Doran-Browne ◽  
Ralph Behrendt ◽  
Ross Kingwell ◽  
Richard Eckard

In Australia in 2011 the Federal government introduced a voluntary offset scheme called the Carbon Farming Initiative, which allows farmers to receive carbon credits when they reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions. Various mitigation options have since been explored for their potential to reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. Among these is the use of alternative pastures that lower methane (CH4) production of grazing animals such as Lotus corniculatus, a legume that contains condensed tannins that inhibit the formation of CH4 in the rumen. Lotus has other benefits for sheep production such as increased wool growth, liveweight gain and fecundity. This study modelled the potential emission, production and economic outcomes for wool and lamb enterprises that incorporate lotus in their pastures, evaluating the impact of existing farm productivity, lotus intake and carbon price. Depending on the amount of lotus consumed and the CH4 reduction rate, CH4 emissions fell by 0.02–0.38 t carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e)/ha and 0.05–0.48 t CO2e/ha on wool and prime lamb enterprises, respectively. At a price of $6/t CO2e potential offset income attributable to use of lotus across all enterprises was $0.12–2.91/ha. Increases in income from increased productivity were 15–30 times greater than from potential carbon offset income. Income was driven by the amount of lotus dry matter intake and the subsequent production benefits. Over a 10-year period prime lamb enterprises generated up to $50/ha in profit by using lotus, due to increased liveweight gain and fecundity. In most modelled scenarios wool enterprises would not cover the cost of lotus pasture establishment. This research demonstrated that 18–23% and 37–46% of lotus intake within the diet was required to generate production enough to cover pasture establishment costs on prime lamb and wool enterprises, respectively. Potential carbon offset income would not be sufficient for farmers to establish lotus without the productivity benefits. While extra profit may be gained on prime lamb enterprises through the use of lotus, problems with persistence must first be overcome for lotus to be adopted on farms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Safril Kasim ◽  
Aminuddin Mane Kandari ◽  
Asramid Yasin ◽  
La Ode Agus Salim Mando

Climate change coupled with deforestation has brought about an increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. One way to control climate change is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by maintaining the integrity of natural forests and increasing the density of tree populations. This research aimed to (a) identifies the density of stand trees in the upland forests of the Wanggu Watershed; (b) analyze the potential carbon stocks contained in the upstream forests of the Wanggu Watershed; (c) develop a model to estimate potential carbon stocks in the upland forests of the Wanggu Watershed. The land cover classification in this study used the guided classification with the Object-Based Image algorithm. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was employed as an indicator of vegetation cover density. Field measurements were carried out by calculating the diameter of the stand trees in 30 observation plots. Field biomass values were obtained through allometric equations. Regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between NDVI densities and field biomass. The results showed that the best equation for estimating potential carbon stocks in the Wanggu Watershed forest area was y = 3.48 (Exp. 7,435x), with an R2 of 50.2%. Potential above ground biomass carbon in the Wanggu Watershed based on NDVI values was 414,043.26 tons in 2019, consist of protected forest areas of 279,070.15 tons and production forests of 134,973.11 tons. While total above biomass carbon based on field measurement reached 529,541.01 tons, consist of protected forests of 419,197.82 tons and production forests of 110,343.20 tons.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Denny ◽  
Jurgen Weiss

AbstractClimate change risk will likely force the de-carbonization of our electricity sector and thus involve massive investments in long-lived assets using many new and emerging technologies. Since technological progress (independent or dependent on deployment) will likely lower the future cost of those technologies, investing early and rapidly forecloses saving money by installing those technologies at a lower cost later. There are thus benefits to waiting until the costs of renewables fall further. However, there are also costs to waiting. First, given the longevity of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, cumulative emissions matter and lowering greenhouse gas emissions earlier is beneficial. Second, there is significant uncertainty not only over the rate of change of the cost of low carbon technologies, but also over the cost of greenhouse gas emissions. The costs of waiting are complex in that the distributions themselves are unknown (and quite possibly have “fat” tails). There may also be complex timing issues such as points of no return in terms of global greenhouse gas concentrations, beyond which the costs of adapting to climate change effects become essentially infinite. Hurrying can therefore be considered an insurance policy against the unknown but perhaps increasing risk of catastrophic damage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3170
Author(s):  
Avri Eitan

Evidence shows that global climate change is increasing over time, and requires the adoption of a variety of coping methods. As an alternative for conventional electricity systems, renewable energies are considered to be an important policy tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore, they play an important role in climate change mitigation strategies. Renewable energies, however, may also play a crucial role in climate change adaptation strategies because they can reduce the vulnerability of energy systems to extreme events. The paper examines whether policy-makers in Israel tend to focus on mitigation strategies or on adaptation strategies in renewable energy policy discourse. The results indicate that despite Israel’s minor impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, policy-makers focus more on promoting renewable energies as a climate change mitigation strategy rather than an adaptation strategy. These findings shed light on the important role of international influence—which tends to emphasize mitigation over adaptation—in motivating the domestic policy discourse on renewable energy as a coping method with climate change.


2021 ◽  
Vol 189 ◽  
pp. 103071
Author(s):  
Niklas Boke Olén ◽  
Fabian Roger ◽  
Mark V. Brady ◽  
Cecilia Larsson ◽  
Georg K.S. Andersson ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Ogle ◽  
Lydia Olander ◽  
Lini Wollenberg ◽  
Todd Rosenstock ◽  
Francesco Tubiello ◽  
...  

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