The first research to account for net carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from all subsectors associated to food production and consumption is a novel, location-specific agricultural greenhouse gas emission study. The research, led by Atul Jain, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, could help identify the primary plant and animal-based food sectors that contribute to three major greenhouse gas emissions, allowing policymakers to take action to reduce emissions from the top-emitting food commodities in different parts of the world.
From 171 crops and 16 livestock products around the world, the comprehensive study looked at the four major subsectors for plant- and animal-based food emissions associated with food production processes, including land-use change, farmland management activities, raising livestock, and operations that occur after the food leaves the farm.
Although CO2 is the most important and most frequently discussed GHG emissions, methane generated by rice cultivation and animals, and nitrous oxide from fertilizers are 34 and 298 times more powerful than CO2, respectively, when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Xiaoming Xu
The researchers were able to create an open-access database using the consistent and unified data-modeling framework to estimate total global greenhouse gas emissions CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide from plant and animal-based human diets. The outcomes of the study have been published in the journal Nature Food.
According to the report, food-based agriculture is responsible for 35% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Plant-based foods contribute 29%, with 19% CO2, 6% methane, and 4% nitrous oxide emissions; animal-based meals provide 57 percent, with 32% CO2, 20% methane, and 6% nitrous oxide emissions; and nonfood usage, such as cotton and rubber manufacture, contributes 14%.
“Although CO2 is the most important and most frequently discussed GHG emissions, methane generated by rice cultivation and animals, and nitrous oxide from fertilizers are 34 and 298 times more powerful than CO2, respectively, when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere,” said Xiaoming Xu, a U. of I. postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study.
The researchers assessed global greenhouse gas emissions from human diets based on spatially explicit production and consumption data.
According to the study, China, Brazil, the United States, and India are the nations with the highest greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based meals, with China accounting for 8%, Brazil for 6%, the United States for 5%, and India for 4%. China, India, and Indonesia are the nations with the highest greenhouse gas emissions from plant-based diets, with 7%, 4%, and 2%, respectively.
“We estimate that population growth will drive the expansion of food subsectors, including crop cultivation and livestock production, as well as product transportation and processing, irrigation and materials like fertilizer and pesticides,” Jain said.
“GHG emissions from all sources, including those from the production and consumption of total and individual plant and animal-based foods, must be accurately estimated for developing climate mitigation plans.”
The researchers hope that this study will encourage everyone from policymakers to individuals who want to make a difference to think about the rich opportunity that agricultural systems provide for developing strategies and public policies that can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions before climate change becomes irreversible, according to the researchers.
This study included contributions from the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, Yvette, France; the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; the University of Aberdeen, Scotland; and PlantPure Communities, Mebane, North Carolina.
