scholarly journals Towards the development of a GHG emissions baseline for the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.B. Stevens ◽  
J. Henri ◽  
M. Van Nierop ◽  
E. Van Staden ◽  
J. Lodder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Energy Transport ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Global Goal ◽  
Emission Projections

South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and as such is required to report on Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Energy, Transport, Waste and the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors every two years in national inventories. The AFOLU sector is unique in that it comprises both sources and sinks for GHGs. Emissions from the AFOLU sector are estimated to contribute a quarter of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. GHG emissions sources from agriculture include enteric fermentation; manure management; manure deposits on pastures, and soil fertilization. Emissions sources from Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) include anthropogenic land use activities such as: management of croplands, forests and grasslands and changes in land use cover (the conversion of one land use to another). South Africa has improved the quantification of AFOLU emissions and the understanding of the dynamic relationship between sinks and sources over the past decade through projects such as the 2010 GHG Inventory, the Mitigation Potential Analysis (MPA), and the National Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Assessment (NTCSA). These projects highlight key mitigation opportunities in South Africa and discuss their potentials. The problem remains that South Africa does not have an emissions baseline for the AFOLU sector against which the mitigation potentials can be measured. The AFOLU sector as a result is often excluded from future emission projections, giving an incomplete picture of South Africa’s mitigation potential. The purpose of this project was to develop a robust GHG emissions baseline for the AFOLU sector which will enable South Africa to project emissions into the future and demonstrate its contribution towards the global goal of reducing emissions.

scholarly journals US Forest Sector Greenhouse Mitigation Potential and Implications for Nationally Determined Contributions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Van Winkle ◽  
Justin S. Baker ◽  
Daniel Lapidus ◽  
Sara Ohrel ◽  
John Steller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Analytical Work ◽  
Nationally Determined Contributions

Countries globally are committing to achieve future greenhouse gas emissions reductions to address our changing climate, as outlined in the Paris Agreement from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties. These commitments, called nationally determined contributions (NDCs), are based on projected anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions levels across all sectors of the economy, including land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) activities. Projecting LULUCF emissions is uniquely challenging, and the uncertainty of future LULUCF emissions could require additional mitigation efforts in the land use sectors to reduce the risk of NDC noncompliance. The objectives of this paper are to provide critical information on what forest sector mitigation activities are currently underway in the United States on private lands, review recent literature estimates of the mitigation potential from these activities (and associated economic costs), identify gaps in the literature where additional analytical work is needed, and provide recommendations for targeted mitigation strategies should US emissions approach or exceed targeted post-2020 NDC levels.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas emissions from the water–air interface of a grassland river: a case study of the Xilin River

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Hao ◽  
Yu Ruihong ◽  
Zhang Zhuangzhuang ◽  
Qi Zhen ◽  
Lu Xixi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Sand Land ◽  
Very High

AbstractGreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rivers and lakes have been shown to significantly contribute to global carbon and nitrogen cycling. In spatiotemporal-variable and human-impacted rivers in the grassland region, simultaneous carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions and their relationships under the different land use types are poorly documented. This research estimated greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) emissions in the Xilin River of Inner Mongolia of China using direct measurements from 18 field campaigns under seven land use type (such as swamp, sand land, grassland, pond, reservoir, lake, waste water) conducted in 2018. The results showed that CO2 emissions were higher in June and August, mainly affected by pH and DO. Emissions of CH4 and N2O were higher in October, which were influenced by TN and TP. According to global warming potential, CO2 emissions accounted for 63.35% of the three GHG emissions, and CH4 and N2O emissions accounted for 35.98% and 0.66% in the Xilin river, respectively. Under the influence of different degrees of human-impact, the amount of CO2 emissions in the sand land type was very high, however, CH4 emissions and N2O emissions were very high in the artificial pond and the wastewater, respectively. For natural river, the greenhouse gas emissions from the reservoir and sand land were both low. The Xilin river was observed to be a source of carbon dioxide and methane, and the lake was a sink for nitrous oxide.

Effect of low and high forage diet on enteric and manure pack greenhouse gas emissions from a feedlot

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Boadi ◽  
K. M. Wittenberg ◽  
S. L. Scott ◽  
D. Burton ◽  
K. Buckley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Methane Production ◽  
Sulfur Hexafluoride ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Beef Steers ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Gross Energy ◽  
Isocaloric Diets ◽  
Dietary Treatments

The objectives of this study were to assess enteric methane (CH4) production by beef steers fed one of two isocaloric diets with different forage:grain ratios and to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from bedded manure packs in the eight feedlot pens holding these steers (14 head pen-1). Five animals (252 ± 20 kg) in each pen were randomly selected for measurement of CH4 emissions over the course of the 126-d feeding trial. Two 24-h gas collections were completed for each steer in each of three collection periods using the sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas technique. The fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from bedding packs were measured using vented static chambers in each sampling period. Methane production (L d-1) was 42% higher (P < 0.05) from steers fed the low forage:grain ratio than from steers fed the high forage:grain ratio. Overall, methane production (% of gross energy intake) ranged from 0.9 to 6.9% on the low forage:grain diet and from 0.7 to 4.9% on the high forage:grain diet. Daily CH4 emissions were similar in the first two periods and increased during the third sampling period. There was no effect of diet on manure pack temperature during sampling, however, the manure pack was deeper (P < 0.05) in pens holding animals fed the high forage:grain diet. Furthermore, diet had no effect on the manure pack fluxes. Total daily non-CO2 emissions from enteric and manure pack sources (CO2 equivalent) were different (P < 0.05) between dietary treatments and averaged 1931 ± 81 g head-1 d-1 for the low forage:grain and 1394 ± 81 g head-1 d-1 for the high forage:grain diet. Key words: Feedlot steers, greenhouse gases, enteric fermentation, manure packs

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas inventory of agriculture in the Czech Republic

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (No. 8) ◽  
pp. 311-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Exnerová ◽  
E. Cienciala
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
The Czech Republic

As a part of its obligations under the Climate Convention, the Czech Republic must annually estimate and report its anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. This also applies for the sector of agriculture, which is one of the greatest producers of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. This paper presents the approaches applied to estimate emissions in agricultural sector during the period 1990–2006. It describes the origin and sources of emissions, applied methodology, parameters and emission estimates for the sector of agriculture in the country. The total greenhouse gas emissions reached 7644 Gg CO<sub>2</sub> eq. in 2006. About 59% (4479 Gg CO<sub>2</sub> eq.) of these emissions has originated from agricultural soils. This quantity ranks agriculture as the third largest sector in the Czech Republic representing 5.3% of the total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The emissions under the Czech conditions consist mainly of emissions from enteric fermentation, manure management and agricultural soils. During the period 1990–2006, GHG emissions from agriculture decreased by 50%, which was linked to reduced cattle population and amount of applied fertilizers. The study concludes that the GHG emissions in the sector of agriculture remain significant and their proper assessment is required for sound climate change adaptation and mitigation policies.

Greenhouse gas emissions and urban form: Linking households’ socio-economic status with housing and transportation choices

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 964-985
Author(s):  
François Des Rosiers ◽  
Marius Thériault ◽  
Gjin Biba ◽  
Marie-Hélène Vandersmissen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
Population Census

The main purpose of this research is to provide new insights for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to transportation, furthering our knowledge on linkages between urban form and economic constraints, travel behaviour, and ability-to-pay of households based on residential choices and property ownership statuses. With Quebec City (Canada) as a case study, it combines an origin-destination (OD) survey, population census data and land use records for 2006 and rests on a series of structural equations models developed at the grid cell level (3,892 cells), which allows for testing for both direct and indirect effects of urban form, accessibility and socio-economic attributes on GHG emissions, households’ transportation and housing financial burdens and motorization rate. As expected, findings suggest that GHG emissions increase with higher incomes (and education), but mainly for homeowners. Tenants displaying a high expenditure-to-income ratio for housing tend to stay close to the city centre (and jobs), thereby minimizing their overall expenditures for transportation while lowering GHG emissions. Potential accessibility by car promotes urban sprawl, thereby contributing to increased GHG emissions. In contrast, increasing residential density and land use mix while providing a better walking access to jobs and local shops tends to favour active transportation, leading to a significant reduction in GHG emissions.

scholarly journals Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions under Different Land-Use Types in Savanna Ecosystems of Kenya

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Wachiye ◽  
Lutz Merbold ◽  
Timo Vesala ◽  
Janne Rinne ◽  
Matti Räsänen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
P Value ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Abstract. For effective climate change mitigation strategies, adequate data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a wide range of land-use and land cover types area prerequisite. However, GHG field measurement data are still scarce for many land-use types in Africa, causing a high uncertainty in GHG budgets. To address this knowledge gap, we present in situ measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) emissions in the lowland part of southern Kenya. We conducted chamber measurements on gas exchange from four dominant land-use types (LUTs) and included (1) cropland, (2) grazed savanna, (3) bushland, and (4) conservation land. Between 29 November 2017 to 3 November 2018, eight measurement campaigns were conducted accounting for regional seasonality (including wet and dry seasons and transitions periods) in each LUT. Mean CO2 emissions for the whole observation period were significantly higher (p-value 

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas emissions from riparian zone cropland in a tributary bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8503
Author(s):  
XiaoXiao Wang ◽  
Ping Huang ◽  
Maohua Ma ◽  
Kun Shan ◽  
Zhaofei Wen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Three Gorges Reservoir ◽  
Riparian Zone ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Paddy Fields ◽  
Three Gorges ◽  
Dry Lands ◽  
The Three Gorges

Background A huge reservoir was formed by the Three Gorges Dam in China, which also formed a riparian zone along the bank of the reservoir. In the period of low water-level, the riparian zone in tributary bays of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) was always unordered cultivated, owing to its gentle slope and high soil fertility. This land-use practice creates high potential of generating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with periodic water level fluctuation. Methods To evaluate potential GHG emissions from the soil-air interface, the static opaque chamber method was adopted to evaluate the effect of elevations (180 m, 175 m, 170 m and 165 m) and land use types (dry lands, paddy fields and grass fields) from April to September in 2015 and 2016. Results The results showed that carbon dioxide (CO2) was the main contributor of GHG emission in riparian zone most likely because of high organic carbon from residues. Furthermore, high soil water content in paddy fields resulted in significantly higher methane (CH4) flux than that in dry lands and grass fields. Compared to grass fields, anthropogenic activities in croplands were attributed with a decrease of soil total carbon and GHG emissions. However, inundation duration of different elevations was found to have no significant effect on CH4 and CO2 emissions in the riparian zone, and the mean nitrous oxide (N2O) flux from dry lands at an elevation of 165 m was significantly higher than that of other elevations likely because of tillage and manure application. The high N2O fluxes produced from tillage and fertilizer suggested that, in order to potentially mitigate GHG emissions from the riparian zone, more attention must be paid to the farming practices in dry lands at low elevations (below 165 m) in the riparian zone. Understanding factors that contribute to GHG emissions will help guide ecological restoration of riparian zones in the TGR.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas mitigation in agriculture

2007 ◽  
Vol 363 (1492) ◽  
pp. 789-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete Smith ◽  
Daniel Martino ◽  
Zucong Cai ◽  
Daniel Gwary ◽  
Henry Janzen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Organic Soils ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Mitigation Potential

Agricultural lands occupy 37% of the earth's land surface. Agriculture accounts for 52 and 84% of global anthropogenic methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Agricultural soils may also act as a sink or source for CO 2 , but the net flux is small. Many agricultural practices can potentially mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the most prominent of which are improved cropland and grazing land management and restoration of degraded lands and cultivated organic soils. Lower, but still significant mitigation potential is provided by water and rice management, set-aside, land use change and agroforestry, livestock management and manure management. The global technical mitigation potential from agriculture (excluding fossil fuel offsets from biomass) by 2030, considering all gases, is estimated to be approximately 5500–6000 Mt CO 2 -eq. yr −1 , with economic potentials of approximately 1500–1600, 2500–2700 and 4000–4300 Mt CO 2 -eq. yr −1 at carbon prices of up to 20, up to 50 and up to 100 US$ t CO 2 -eq. −1 , respectively. In addition, GHG emissions could be reduced by substitution of fossil fuels for energy production by agricultural feedstocks (e.g. crop residues, dung and dedicated energy crops). The economic mitigation potential of biomass energy from agriculture is estimated to be 640, 2240 and 16 000 Mt CO 2 -eq. yr −1 at 0–20, 0–50 and 0–100 US$ t CO 2 -eq. −1 , respectively.

Investigating the greenhouse gas emissions of grass-fed beef relative to other greenhouse gas abatement strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 513
Author(s):  
Lance Gagelman ◽  
Bailey Norwood
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Carbon Offsets ◽  
Household Expenditures ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Abatement Strategies ◽  
Sequestration Rate ◽  
Abandoned Cropland ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Abatement

Beef is often identified as one of the foods with the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, causing climate-conscious persons to seek changes in their diets. This study evaluated the ability of a household to reduce its GHG emissions by replacing conventional US beef with grass-fed beef and compared its effectiveness to three other strategies: replacing beef with chicken, becoming a vegetarian, and purchasing carbon offsets. These potential GHG-reducing strategies were considered within a model of a typical US household, using a framework that accounts for all household expenditures and carbon emissions. Replacing beef with chicken and adopting vegetarianism reduced the household’s GHG emissions by 1% and 3%, respectively. Grass-fed beef only reduced emissions if the GHG sequestration rate for pastureland and/or the price of grass-fed beef was high. It is shown that persons paying higher prices for grass-fed beef with the goal of smaller GHG emissions might want to consider buying conventional beef instead and using the savings to purchase carbon offsets. Also, although vegetarianism is often touted as a climate-friendly diet, the model shows that meat-eaters can achieve the same GHG reduction by spending only US$19 per year on carbon offsets. These results assume that additional land for grazing is acquired from recently abandoned cropland, which gives grass-fed beef its best chance at being climate-friendly. Alternative land-use assumptions would only reinforce the result that grass-fed beef does not emit less GHG emissions than conventional beef.

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