Agriculture

The agriculture sector is directly responsible for roughly 7 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, largely from soil management (fertilizer use) and livestock. The agriculture sector is also an end user of electricity and transportation fuels; distributing emissions from electricity and transportation among end-use sectors increases the amount of GHG emissions attributable to the agriculture sector modestly to roughly 8 percent of total U.S. emissions. Agricultural soil management, including the application of nitrogen-based fertilizers accounts for almost half of all agricultural emissions. Enteric fermentation, a normal digestive process in animals that produces methane, is the second largest source (roughly 30 percent) of agricultural emissions. Livestock manure management, rice cultivation, burning agricultural residues, and other non-energy related activities make up account for the remainder of agricultural GHG emissions.

The agricultural sector can contribute to climate change mitigation in a variety of ways. Mitigation efforts can reduce the direct GHG emissions from agriculture, increase carbon storage, substitute bio-based products and feedstocks for fossil fuels, and reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the earth’s surface. Opportunities to reduce GHG emissions directly include using more fuel-efficient machinery, installing on-site renewable energy systems for electricity, improved manure management, and more efficient fertilizer use. In addition to directly reducing emissions, the agriculture sector has the unique ability to increase carbon storage by altering land-use practices to sequester more carbon in plant material, or by implementing new practices, such as reducing fallow periods between crops or using low- or no-till practices.

Our work at C2ES covers a wide variety of agriculture-related topics, including climate policy and how it interacts with the sector, low-carbon technology status and outlook, and agricultural practice innovation. We track and inform policymaking at the state, federal, and regional levels, collaborate on papers and briefs, blog about current issues, and educate policymakers and others with up-to-date online resources about important developments in the sector and those relevant to the sector.

Tracking policy - We track policy progress at the state, federal, and international level. Our state maps provide information about which states have implemented policies that promote the use of bio-based products and feedstocks as substitutes for fossil fuels.  We also track and analyze policy at the national level, including what is happening in Congressand the Executive Branch.

Research - We produce research, including reports, white papers, and briefs, on climate and clean energy issues.

Climate Compass Blog - Our blog includes posts about current issues related to agriculture, and you can view relevant posts here.

Climate Techbook - The agriculture section of the Climate Techbook provides an overview of the sector as well as briefs describing technologies and practices related to agriculture and GHG emissions. Below is a list of the Techbook factsheets that pertain to agriculture.

Recommended Resources

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• Climate Change 2007: Mitigation, Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report, 2007
• Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report, 2007

U.S. Global Change Research Program

• Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S., 2009

U.S. Climate Change Science Program

• The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity in the United States, 2008

U.S. Department of Agriculture

• Climate Change Program Office
• U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Greenhouse Gas Inventory

U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Agriculture and Food Supply
• Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2009

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Resources for the Future (RFF)

Related Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC) Companies