Scientists urge agriculture emissions cut to meet Paris climate agreement

119 nations included reductions in agriculture in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the UNFCCC
119 nations included reductions in agriculture in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the UNFCCC

Scientists have said the agriculture industry needs to reduce non-CO2 emissions by 1 gigaton per year in order to meet the new climate agreement plan to limit warming in 2100.

They warn that emission reductions in other sectors such as energy and transport will be insufficient to meet the new climate agreement.

"This research is a reality check," said Lini Wollenberg, leader of the CCAFS Low Emissions Development research program, based at the University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics.

"Countries want to take action on agriculture, but the options currently on offer won't make the dent in emissions needed to meet the global targets agreed to in Paris.

"We need a much bigger menu of technical and policy solutions, with major investment to bring them to scale."

119 nations included reductions in agriculture in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the UNFCCC.

However, no work has been carried out to determine how these pledges will be accomplished.

Balance food production and emissions reduction

Agriculture contributes an average of 35% of emissions in developing countries and 12% in developed countries today.

Yet authors warn that efforts to reduce emissions levels must be balanced with countries' need to produce enough food, particularly in poorer nations.

"We need to help farmers play their part in reaching global climate goals while still feeding the world," comments Professor Pete Smith, Theme Leader for Environment & Food Security at the University of Aberdeen and co-author of the paper.

"Reducing emissions in agriculture without compromising food security is something we know how to do.

"A lot can already be done with existing best management practices in agriculture. The tough part is how to reduce emissions by a further two to five times and support large numbers of farmers to change their practices in the next 10 to 20 years."

To realise the 1 gigaton per year reduction target for non-CO2 emissions in agriculture, 21 to 40% of reductions could be achieved by sustainable intensification of cattle and efficient use of water.

Even this effort will not be enough, according to the study.

Promising technical innovations on the horizon include recently developed methane inhibitors that reduce dairy cow emissions by 30% without affecting milk yields, breeds of cattle that produce lower methane, and varieties of cereal crops that release less nitrous oxide.