08
January 2008 - International — Industrial
agriculture is killing the climate. But
it is possible to turn this key source of
greenhouse gas emissions into a carbon sink,
our new report 'Cool Farming: Climate impacts
of agriculture and mitigation potential'
reveals.
Farming is responsible for an estimated
8.5-16.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide,
or 17-32 percent of all human-induced greenhouse
gas emissions.
The overuse of fertilisers,
dependence on pesticides, land clearing,
soil degradation, and intensive animal farming
lie at the heart of the problem.
Using too much fertiliser
accounts for the highest single share of
agriculture's direct emissions, currently
equal to some 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2
per year, and results in the emission of
nitrous oxide, which is some 300 times more
potent than carbon dioxide in changing the
climate.
The second biggest direct
emitter is animals. Cattle and sheep in
particular, produce large amounts of the
potent greenhouse gas methane when digesting;
levels are increasing as a result of the
growing demand for meat. Each kilogramme
of beef produced results in 13 kilos of
carbon emission; for lamb each kilo produces
17 kilos of emissions.
It is not only these
direct effects that contribute to climate
change. Cutting down forests and other natural
cover to make way for agricultural land
for grazing, growing animal feed and other
crops, removes vital carbon sinks so increasing
global warming. Over the past 20 years,
more than 300 million hectares of tropical
forests, an area nearly as big as India,
has been destroyed largely for intensive
animal farming, or palm oil for biofuel
production.
What can be done?
Governments need to
reject the current model of energy- and
chemically-intensive farming that characterises
industrial agriculture and replace it with
farming that works both with nature and
the needs of local communities.
By reducing the use
of fertilisers, protecting soil and biodiversity,
improving rice production and cutting demand
for meat, especially in developed countries,
the devastating effects of agriculture on
the climate can be reversed.
Farmers need to be encouraged
to use less fertiliser with more precision,
and given support to convert to modern,
ecological farming methods. Measures must
be adopted which enrich soil, such as using
cover crops when fields are not in use,
to stop it from being leached of all nutrients.
Traditional practices and local seed varieties
need to be championed in favour of such
costly and environmentally damaging options
as genetically engineered organisms.
Reduction of methane
produced by rice, one of the world's staple
foods, is vital. It can be achieved by using
less water and fertiliser without sacrificing
yield. And slash demand for meat.
All this is possible
without putting feeding the world at risk.
Governments and international institutions
have the means to stop agriculture from
killing the climate now.
