scholarly journals Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation Measures within the Forestry and Other Land Use Subsector in Malawi

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Edward Missanjo ◽  
Henry Kadzuwa
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Resistant Species ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Future Emissions

Analysing past trends of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains indispensable to the understanding of current GHG emissions, thereby enabling prediction of future emissions as well as development of their mitigative pathways. This study quantified GHG emissions within the Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) subsector in Malawi for the period 2011 to 2020. Results indicate that Malawi’s GHG emissions in the FOLU subsector fluctuated but decreased by 0.84 MtCO2e (13%) from 2011 to 2020, averaging to −1.3% annually. The GHG emissions of different categories within the subsector were highly significant ( p < 0.001 ) and contributed the highest (99.72%) of the total variation. Forestland contributed the highest (74%) of the subsector category emissions, followed by biomass burning (19%). The uncertainties for the estimated GHG emissions were low (<15%). This shows that the estimated GHG emissions within the FOLU subsector were significantly minimised. Notable interventions that have abated the emissions include afforestation and natural/assisted regeneration; protection and conservation of protected areas through the REDD+ mechanism; establishment of seed banks for raising drought-tolerant tree species; and breeding of fast-growing and drought-tolerant tree species; as well as screening of disease and pest-resistant species and promotion of biological control.

scholarly journals Review of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Rewetted Agricultural Soils

Wetlands ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Bianchi ◽  
Tuula Larmola ◽  
Hanna Kekkonen ◽  
Sanna Saarnio ◽  
Kristiina Lång
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Ghg Mitigation ◽  
Current Emission

AbstractClimate policies encourage the search for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options in all economic sectors and peatland rewetting is one of the most efficient mitigation measures in agriculture and land use. The benefits shown in the national GHG inventories, however, depend not only on the actual mitigation actions on the ground but also how well the effects can be reported. Currently there are no specific emission factors for reporting GHG emissions from rewetted agricultural soils as the current emission factors are aggregated for several pre-rewetting land use types. Also, rewetting can aim at either restoration or different forms of paludiculture which may differ in their GHG profile and thus demand disaggregated emission factors. We compiled the current knowledge on GHG emissions on sites where rewetting has occurred on former agricultural peatland in temperate or boreal climate zones. The recent data suggest that on average the current emission factors for rewetting nutrient-rich sites published by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) provide a good estimate for reporting emissions from rewetting in the temperate zone. However, the total GHG balances differed widely in restoration, Sphagnum farming and production of emergent plants in paludiculture and it is evident that disaggregated emission factors will be needed to improve the accuracy of reporting the effects of mitigation measures in the GHG inventories.

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.

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 The cost of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in farms in Central Andes of Ecuador

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e0101
Author(s):  
Jhenny Cayambe ◽  
Ana Iglesias
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Central Andes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
The Cost

Aim of study: Reduction of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derived from food production is imperative to meet climate change mitigation targets. Sustainable mitigation strategies also combine improvements in soil fertility and structure, nutrient recycling, and the use more efficient use of water. Many of these strategies are based on agricultural know-how, with proven benefits for farmers and the environment. This paper considers measures that could contribute to emissions reduction in subsistence farming systems and evaluation of management alternatives in the Central Andes of Ecuador. We focused on potato and milk production because they represent two primary employment and income sources in the region’s rural areas and are staple foods in Latin America.Area of study: Central Andes of Ecuador: Carchi, Chimborazo, Cañar provincesMaterial and methods: Our approach to explore the cost and the effectiveness of mitigation measures combines optimisation models with participatory methods.Main results: Results show the difference of mitigation costs between regions which should be taken into account when designing of any potential support given to farmers. They also show that there is a big mitigation potential from applying the studied measures which also lead to increased soil fertility and soil structure improvements due to the increased soil organic carbon.Research highlights: This study shows that marginal abatement cost curves derived for different agro-climatic regions are helpful tools for the development of realistic regional mitigation options for the agricultural sector.

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 Toward a Low-Carbon Transport Sector in Mexico

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge M. Islas-Samperio ◽  
Fabio Manzini ◽  
Genice K. Grande-Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
Ghg Mitigation

Considering that the world transport sector is the second largest contributor of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to energy use and the least decarbonized sector, it is highly recommended that all countries implement ambitious public policies to decarbonize this sector. In Mexico the transport sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions, in 2014 it contributed with 31.3% of net emissions. Two original scenarios for the Mexican transport sector, a no-policy baseline scenario (BLS) and a low carbon scenario (LCS) were constructed. In the LCS were applied 21 GHG mitigation measures, which far exceeds the proposals for reducing transport sector GHG emissions that Mexico submitted in its National Determined Contributions (NDC). As a result, the proposed LCS describes a sector transformation path characterized by structural changes in freight and passenger mobility, new motor technologies for mobility, introduction of biofuels, price signals, transportation practices and regulations, as well as urban planning strategies, which altogether achieve an accumulated reduction of 3166 MtCO2e in a 25 year period, producing a global net benefit of 240,772 MUSD and a GHG emissions’ reduction of 56% in 2035 in relation to the BLS.

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.

scholarly journals NDCmitiQ v1.0.0: a tool to quantify and analyse greenhouse gas mitigation targets

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 5695-5730
Author(s):  
Annika Günther ◽  
Johannes Gütschow ◽  
Mairi Louise Jeffery
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation ◽  
Ghg Mitigation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Usa ◽  
External Time

Abstract. Parties to the Paris Agreement (PA, 2015) outline their planned contributions towards achieving the PA temperature goal to “hold […] the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 ∘C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 ∘C” (Article 2.1.a, PA) in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Most NDCs include targets to mitigate national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which need quantifications to assess i.a. whether the current NDCs collectively put us on track to reach the PA temperature goals or the gap in ambition to do so. We implemented the new open-source tool “NDCmitiQ” to quantify GHG mitigation targets defined in the NDCs for all countries with quantifiable targets on a disaggregated level and to create corresponding national and global emissions pathways. In light of the 5-year update cycle of NDCs and the global stocktake, the quantification of NDCs is an ongoing task for which NDCmitiQ can be used, as calculations can easily be updated upon submission of new NDCs. In this paper, we describe the methodologies behind NDCmitiQ and quantification challenges we encountered by addressing a wide range of aspects, including target types and the input data from within NDCs; external time series of national emissions, population, and GDP; uniform approach vs. country specifics; share of national emissions covered by NDCs; how to deal with the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) component and the conditionality of pledges; and establishing pathways from single-year targets. For use in NDCmitiQ, we furthermore construct an emissions data set from the baseline emissions provided in the NDCs. Example use cases show how the tool can help to analyse targets on a national, regional, or global scale and to quantify uncertainties caused by a lack of clarity in the NDCs. Results confirm that the conditionality of targets and assumptions about economic growth dominate uncertainty in mitigated emissions on a global scale, which are estimated as 48.9–56.1 Gt CO2 eq. AR4 for 2030 (10th/90th percentiles, median: 51.8 Gt CO2 eq. AR4; excluding LULUCF and bunker fuels; submissions until 17 April 2020 and excluding the USA). We estimate that 77 % of global 2017 emissions were emitted from sectors and gases covered by these NDCs. Addressing all updated NDCs submitted by 31 December 2020 results in an estimated 45.6–54.1 Gt CO2 eq. AR4 (median: 49.6 Gt CO2 eq. AR4, now including the USA again) and increased coverage.

scholarly journals SOC Stock Changes and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Following Tropical Land Use Conversions to Plantation Crops on Mineral Soils, with a Special Focus on Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjutha Shanmugam ◽  
Ram Dalal ◽  
Hans Joosten ◽  
R. Raison ◽  
Goh Joo
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Land Use Conversion ◽  
Rubber Plantations ◽  
Soc Stock ◽  
Mineral Soils ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Soc Stocks

The increasing global demand for vegetable oils has resulted in a significant increase in the area under oil palm in the tropics during the last couple of decades, and this is projected to increase further. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil discourages the conversion of peatlands to oil palm and rubber plantations. However, our understanding of the effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of land use conversion is incomplete, especially for mineral soils under primary forests, secondary forests, rubber and other perennial plantations in the tropics. In this review we synthesised information on SOC stocks and GHG emissions from tropical mineral soils under forest, oil palm and rubber plantations and other agroecosystems across the tropical regions. We found that the largest SOC losses occurred after land use conversion from primary forest to oil palm and rubber plantations. Secondary forest and pasture lands showed lower SOC losses as well as total GHG (CO2, N2O and CH4) emissions when converted to oil palm and rubber plantations. However, due to the limited data available on all three GHG emissions, there remains high uncertainty in GHG emissions estimates, and regional GHG accounting is more reliable. We recommend long-term monitoring of oil palm and other perennial plantations established on tropical mineral soils on different soil types and regions on SOC stock changes and total GHG emissions and evaluate appropriate management practices to optimise production and sustainable economic returns, and minimise environmental impact.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document