Contribution of land use practices to GHGs in the Canadian Prairies crop sector

The global crop sector is estimated to contribute about 10.4% of global GHGs annually. The Canadian crop sector is assessed as adding about 6.5% to total national emissions. These estimates over report the impact of farming as they ignore the complex interaction of cropping with the environment and the role land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) play in sequestering carbon. This study quantifies the contribution of land use to GHG emissions and removals in the Canadian Prairies crop sector between 1985 and 2016. The modeling effort explores how different farming practices (i.e., conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), zero tillage (ZT), summerfallow, crop rotations, and residue retention) and input usage rates (i.e., fertilizer and fuel) affect GHG emissions in different soil climate zones and provinces in the Prairies region. The adoption of sustainable practices led to an 80% decline in GHG emissions in the crop sector between 1985 and 2016. Since 2005, the baseline for Canada’s Paris commitment, sectoral emissions dropped 53%, more than is required to meet the 2030 target. Most promising, the crop sector was a net GHG sink between 2013 and 2016 in Alberta and between 2006 and 2016 in Saskatchewan. As positive as these developments have been, more can be done by directing research to identify options for reducing GHGs in Manitoba (which made only minimal improvements as farmers there faced conditions requiring continuous use of conventional tillage practices), to explore better nitrogen management (a major continuing source of GHG from cropping) and by searching for low carbon transport options.

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Effect of Tillage, Residue Management and Cropping System on the Properties of Soil

International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology ◽

10.3126/ijasbt.v6i2.20433 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 164-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bibek Thapa ◽

Keshab Raj Pande ◽

Baburam Khanal ◽

Santosh Marahatta

Keyword(s):

Cropping System ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Residue Management ◽

Zero Tillage ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Residue Removal ◽

Main Plot ◽

Residue Retention

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage practices, residue management and cropping system on soil properties at NMRP, Rampur, Chitwan from November 2015 to April 2016. The experiment was laid on Strip split design with combination of 12 different treatments i.e, zero tillage & conventional tillage as main plot in the strip, residue retention & residue removal as sub-plot factor and maize – wheat, maize + soybean – wheat & soybean – wheat cropping system as sub-sub plot factor. Three replications of the treatments were made. Soil sample before experiment and after harvest of wheat was taken (0-15cm). The experiment showed significant effect of zero tillage on organic carbon (2.169%) and on total soil nitrogen (0.112 %). Zero tillage with retention of residues is valuable tool for the conservation agriculture and helps in sustainability of soil however long-term research for the tillage management and residue retention should be conducted to highlight the major effects on change in properties of soil.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(2): 164-168

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Environmental Impact of Dietary Choices: Role of the Mediterranean and Other Dietary Patterns in an Italian Cohort

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051468 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1468 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Giuseppe Grosso ◽

Ujué Fresán ◽

Maira Bes-Rastrollo ◽

Stefano Marventano ◽

Fabio Galvano

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Water Use ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Quality Index ◽

Energy Use ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Impact

Background: Current scientific literature suggests healthy dietary patterns may have less environmental impact than current consumption patterns, but most of the studies rely on theoretical modeling. The aim of this study was to assess the impact on resources (land, water, and energy) use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of healthy dietary patterns in a sample of Italian adults. Methods: Participants (n = 1806) were recruited through random sampling in the city of Catania, southern Italy. Dietary consumption was assessed through a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); dietary patterns were calculated through dietary scores. The specific environmental footprints of food item production/processing were obtained from various available life-cycle assessments; a sustainability score was created based on the impact of the four environmental components calculated. Results: The contribution of major food groups to the environmental footprint showed that animal products (dairy, egg, meat, and fish) represented more than half of the impact on GHG emissions and energy requirements; meat products were the stronger contributors to GHG emissions and water use, while dairy products to energy use, and cereals to land use. All patterns investigated, with the exception of the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH), were linearly associated with the sustainability score. Among the components, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and Alternate Diet Quality Index (AHEI) was associated with lower GHG emissions, dietary quality index-international (DQI-I) with land use, while Nordic diet with land and water use. Conclusions: In conclusion, the adoption of healthy dietary patterns involves less use of natural resources and GHG emissions, representing eco-friendlier options in Italian adults.

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Influence of non-puddled transplanting and residues of previous mustard on rice (Oryza sativa L.)

10.20944/preprints202010.0357.v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Mobarak Hossain ◽

Mahfuza Begum ◽

Md. Moshiur Rahman ◽

Abul Hashem ◽

Richard W. Bell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Block Design ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Benefit Cost Ratio ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Significant Yield ◽

Strip Tillage ◽

Benefit Cost ◽

On Farm ◽

Residue Retention

On-farm research was conducted at Gouripur sub-district under Mymensingh district of Bangladesh during the boro (mid November-June) season in 2013-14 and 2014-15 to evaluate the performance of non-puddled rice cultivation with and without crop residue retention. The rice var. BRRI dhan28 was transplanted by two tillage practices viz., puddled conventional tillage (CT) and non-puddled strip tillage (ST) and at two levels of mustard residues, i.e., no residue (R0) and 50% residue (R50). The experiment was designed in a randomized complete block design with four replications. There were no significant yield differences between tillage practices and residue levels in 2013-14. But in the following year, ST yielded 9% more grain compared to CT leading to 22% higher BCR. Retention of 50% residue increased yield by 3% compared to no-residue, which contributed to 10% higher benefit-cost ratio (BCR). The ST combined with 50% residue retention yielded the highest grain yield (5.81 t ha-1) which contributed to produce the highest BCR (1.06).

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The impact of clouds, land use and snow cover on climate in the Canadian Prairies

Advances in Science and Research ◽

10.5194/asr-13-37-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 37-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alan K. Betts ◽

Raymond L. Desjardins ◽

Devon E. Worth

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Snow Cover ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Land Surface ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Summer Precipitation ◽

Climate Data ◽

Canadian Prairies ◽

Cloud Forcing ◽

The Impact

Abstract. This study uses 55 years of hourly observations of air temperature, relative humidity, daily precipitation, snow cover and cloud cover from 15 climate stations across the Canadian Prairies to analyze biosphere-atmosphere interactions. We will provide examples of the coupling between climate, snow cover, clouds, and land use. Snow cover acts as a fast climate switch. With the first snow fall, air temperature falls by 10 °C, and a similar increase in temperature occurs with snow melt. Climatologically, days with snow cover are 10 °C cooler than days with no snow cover in Alberta. However the interannual variability has a larger range, so that for every 10 % decrease in days with snow cover, the mean October to April climate is warmer by 1.4 to 1.5 °C. Snow cover also transforms the coupling between clouds and the diurnal cycle of air temperature from a boundary layer regime dominated by shortwave cloud forcing in the warm season to one dominated by longwave cloud forcing with snow cover. Changing agricultural land use in the past thirty years, specifically the reduction of summer fallowing, has cooled and moistened the growing season climate and increased summer precipitation. These hourly climate data provide a solid observational basis for understanding land surface coupling, which can be used to improve the representation of clouds and land-surface processes in atmospheric models.

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Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization in Dark Grey Calcareous Floodplain Soil Is Influenced by Tillage Practices and Residue Retention

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10081650 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1650

Author(s):

Nazmus Salahin ◽

Md. Khairul Alam ◽

Sharif Ahmed ◽

Mohammad Jahiruddin ◽

Ahmed Gaber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crop Residue ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Decay Rates ◽

N Cycling ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Floodplain Soil ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

C And N ◽

The Impact ◽

Residue Retention

Very little is known about the changes that occur in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) under an intensive rice-based cropping system following the change to minimal tillage and increased crop residue retention in the Gangetic Plains of South Asia. The field experiment was conducted for 3 years at Rajbari, Bangladesh to examine the impact of tillage practices and crop residue retention on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. The experiment comprised four tillage practices—conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT), strip-tillage (ST), and bed planting (BP) in combination with two residue retention levels—increased residue (R50%) and low residue (R20%—the current practice). The TN, SOC, and mineral N (NH4+-N and NO3−-N) were measured in the soil at different crop growth stages. After 3 years, ZT, ST, and BP sequestered 12, 11, and 6% more SOC, and 18, 13, and 10% more TN, respectively than the conventional crop establishment practice at 0–5 cm soil depth. The accumulation of SOC and TN was also higher compared to the initial SOC and TN in soil. Among the tillage practices, the maximum SOC and TN sequestration were recorded with ST and with R50% that might be attributed to reduced mineralization of C and N in soil particularly with increased residue retention, since decay rates of potentially mineralizable C was lower in the ST with both the residue retention practices. Increased residue retention and minimum tillage practices after nine consecutive crops has altered the C and N cycling by slowing the in-season turnover of C and N, reducing the level of nitrate-N available to plants in the growing season and increasing retained soil levels of SOC and TN.

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Willow Biomass Crops Are a Carbon Negative or Low-Carbon Feedstock Depending on Prior Land Use and Transportation Distances to End Users

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13164251 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 4251

Author(s):

Sheng Yang ◽

Timothy Volk ◽

Marie-Odile Fortier

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Energy Return On Investment ◽

Growing Conditions ◽

Low Carbon Energy

Few life cycle assessments (LCAs) on willow biomass production have investigated the effects of key geographically specific parameters. This study uses a spatial LCA model for willow biomass production to determine spatially explicit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy return on investment (EROI), including land use conversion from pasture and cropland or grassland. There were negative GHG emissions on 92% of the land identified as suitable for willow biomass production, indicating this system’s potential for climate change mitigation. For willow planted on cropland or pasture, life cycle GHG emissions ranged from −53.2 to −176.9 kg CO2eq Mg-1. When willow was grown on grassland the projected decrease in soil organic carbon resulted in a slightly positive GHG balance. Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) associated with land use change, transportation distance, and willow yield had the greatest impacts on GHG emissions. Results from the uncertainty analysis exhibited large variations in GHG emissions between counties arising from differences in these parameters. The average EROI across the entire region was 19.2. Willow biomass can be a carbon negative or low-carbon energy source with a high EROI in regions with similar infrastructure, transportation distances, and growing conditions such as soil characteristics, land cover types, and climate.

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Assessing impacts of urban form on GHG emission with high-resolution spatial grids to implement nature-based solutions for carbon neutral cities

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10793 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Page ◽

Haozhi Pan ◽

Zahra Kalantari

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

High Resolution ◽

Urban Form ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

The European Union ◽

Land Use Pattern ◽

Net Zero ◽

The Impact

Globally, urban areas contribute significantly to the emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) which are leading to anthropogenic climate change. To achieve long-term sustainable development goals, urban regions will need to grow and develop in such a way that they can both provide a good quality of life for all of their inhabitants, and also reduce and offset their GHG emissions to reach and maintain net-zero GHG emissions.This work aims to further our understanding of the impact of urban form and growth on GHG emissions, to identify ways in which nature-based solutions (NBS) can be integrated into urban planning to help cities reach net zero emissions while continuing to grow sustainably. We will conduct a high-resolution (1x1km) spatial accounting and mapping of GHG emissions from selected urban anthropogenic activities (residential, commercial, transportation) for Stockholm, Sweden which includes those factors relevant to and impacted by urban form (such as density, land use pattern transportation networks, green spaces) to allow for the analysis of different types of city spatial patterns and planning decisions and their implications in GHG emissions. The results will be further expanded to cities across the European Union (EU) for comparison. Conclusions will be drawn about where and how NBS interventions should be used most effectively to reduce urban GHG emissions and facilitate sustainable city growth in the future.Keywords: Sustainable cities; Land-use; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Nature-based Solutions

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The Impact of Korea’s Green Growth Policies on the National Economy and Environment

The B E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy ◽

10.1515/bejeap-2013-0139 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 1585-1614 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Won-Sik Hwang ◽

Inha Oh ◽

Jeong-Dong Lee

Keyword(s):

National Economy ◽

Carbon Capture And Storage ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Renewable Portfolio Standard ◽

Baseline Scenario ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Green Growth ◽

Ghg Reduction ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

Abstract The Korean government has recently established national and sectoral mid-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Specifically, the country must reduce its total GHG emissions by 30% compared to business-as-usual (BAU) by 2020. This study has two main purposes. First, the study aims to measure the economic impacts of pursuing and achieving the government’s GHG reduction targets. Second, it aims to estimate each major policy’s potential GHG emission reductions in the various sectors. We use the computable general equilibrium model and develop three scenarios to examine the economic and environmental impacts of Korea’s green growth policies – a baseline scenario wherein the national economy proceeds without green growth policies; scenario A, wherein the government imposes national and sectoral emission reduction targets without adopting green technologies; and scenario B, wherein the government adopts policy and technology as renewable portfolio standard and carbon capture and storage. The simulation results from scenario A indicate that the government’s mid-term targets could pose a significant challenge to Korea’s national economy. In addition, the results from scenario B indicate that low-carbon green policy and technology will play an important role in reducing GHG emissions.

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CFD analysis of the combustion in the BERL burner fueled with a hydrogen-natural gas mixture

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202019710002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 197 ◽

pp. 10002

Author(s):

Tommaso Capurso ◽

Vito Ceglie ◽

Francesco Fornarelli ◽

Marco Torresi ◽

Sergio M. Camporeale

Keyword(s):

Natural Gas ◽

Power Plants ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Thermal Power ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Combustion Model ◽

Gas Mixture ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Radial Temperature ◽

The Impact

The regulatory restrictions, currently acting, impose a significant reduction of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. After the coal-to-gas transition of the last decades, the fossil fuel-to-renewables switching is the current perspective. However, the variability of energy production related to Renewable Energy Sources requires the fundamental contribution of thermal power plants in order to guaranty the grid stability. Moving toward a low-carbon society, the industry is looking at a reduction of high carbon content fuels, pointing to Natural Gas (NG) and more recently to hydrogen-NG mixtures. In this scenario, a preliminary study of the BERL swirled stabilized burner is carried out in order to understand the impact of blending natural gas with hydrogen on the flame morphology and CO emissions. Preliminary 3D CFD simulations have been run with the purpose to assess the best combination of combustion model (Non Premixed and Partially Premixed Falmelets), turbulence model (Realizable k ɛ and the Reynolds Stress equation model) and chemical kinetic mechanism (GriMech3.0, GriMech 1.2 and Frassoldati). The numerical results of the BERL burner fueled with natural gas have been compared with experimental data in terms of flow patterns, radial temperature profiles, O2, CO and CO2 concentrations. Finally, a 30% hydrogen in natural gas mixture has been considered, keeping fixed the thermal power output of the burner and the global equivalence ratio.

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Multi-Scenario Analysis of Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions: The Case of Hebei Province in China

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12040624 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 624 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zeng Li ◽

Jingying Fu ◽

Gang Lin ◽

Dong Jiang ◽

Kun Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Alternative Energy ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Structure Optimization ◽

Energy System ◽

Hebei Province ◽

Energy Structure ◽

Reference Scenario ◽

Low Carbon ◽

The Impact

In view of the complexity of the energy system and its complex relationship with socio-economic factors, this study adopts the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) model, a technology-based, bottom-up approach, scenario-based analysis, to develop a systematic analysis of the current and future energy consumption, supply and associated Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from 2015 to 2050. The impact of various energy policies on the energy system in Hebei Province was analysed by considering four scenarios: a Reference Scenario (REF), Industrial Structure Optimization Scenario (ISO), Terminal Consumption Structure Optimization Scenario (TOS) and Low-carbon Development Scenario (LCD). By designing strategic policies from the perspective of industrial adjustment, aggressive energy structure policies and measures, such as the ISO and the TOS, and even more aggressive options, such as the LCD, where the percentage of cleaner alternative energy sources has been further increased, it has been indicated that energy consumption will have increased from 321.618 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce) in 2015 to 784.88 Mtce in 2050 in the REF, with a corresponding increase in GHG emissions from 920.56 million metric tonnes (Mt) to 2262.81 Mt. In contrast, the more aggressive policies and strategies involved in the LCD, which combines the ISO with the policy-oriented TOS, can lower energy consumption by 50.82% and CO2 emissions by 64.26%. The results shed light on whether and how these scenarios can shape the energy-carbon emission reduction trajectories and develop the low-carbon pathways in Hebei Province.

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