Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture in EU Countries—State and Perspectives

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has great potential for mitigating climate change. The aim of this study is to analyze the amount, dynamics of changes, and structure of GHG emissions from agriculture in the EU in the years 2005–2018. The research based on data about GHG collected by the European Environment Agency. The structure of GHG emissions in 2018 in the EU is as follows: enteric fermentation (45%), agricultural soils (37.8%), manure management (14.7%), liming (1.4%), urea application (1%), and field burning of agricultural residues (0.1%). Comparing 2018 with the base year, 2005, emissions from the agricultural sector decreased by about 2%, which is less than the assumed 10% reduction of GHG emissions in the non-emissions trading system (non-ETS) sector. The ambitious goals set by the EU for 2030 assume a 30% reduction in the non-ETS sector. This will require a significant reduction in GHG emissions from agriculture. Based on the analysis of the GHG emission structure and available reduction techniques, it was calculated that in this period, it should be possible to reduce emissions from agriculture by about 15%.

The impacts of agricultural subsidies of Common Agricultural Policy on agricultural emissions: The case of the European Union

“…Approximately 20 million people work on EU farms, including full-and part-time farm managers and employees, seasonal labour, and farm family members (European Commission EUROSTAT 2020). In the EU, most agricultural GHG emissions are derived from enteric fermentation (45%), soils (37.8%), manure management (14.7%) and other sources (2.5%), discussed by Mielcarek-Bochenska and Rzeznik (2021). The role of the EU in mitigating climate change in the agricultural sector is crucial because the EU sets environmental standards and co-finances most of the agricultural expenditure of the Member States.…”

Assessment of the environmental kuznets curve within EU-27: Steps toward environmental sustainability (1990–2019)

“…[ 68 ], the achievement of the 27% use of renewable energy sources as per the EU's Renewable Energy Directive by 2030 will depend on each country's level of economic development, structure of energy consumption, and policies for achieving energy efficiency. Similarly, Mielcarek-Bocheńska and Rzeźnik [ 79 ] show that technological changes in EU countries, the size of countries, and the proportion of changes in GHG emitting sectors also contribute to variations in GHG emissions. Germany's low emissions are attributed to innovative technology, research, and renewable energy sources.…”

“…Coordinated efforts, policies, and instruments benefit from enhanced synergism. In fact, GHG emission reduction requires changes in legislation, financial outlays, organization, and technical changes [ 79 ], which should not be taken in isolation but in a nexus with national and international laws because of the carbon leakage effect. However, generally, the results show that implementing GHG emissions reduction policies, such as technology and research, incentives, and economic adjustments, in countries such as Germany, France, Denmark, and the Czech Republic contribute to reducing GHG emissions.…”

Métodos De Intervención Ambiental Universitaria Para Contrarrestar Los Efectos Del Cambio Climático

“…Es por esto que la superficie de la Tierra se mantiene caliente, lo cual es vital para la supervivencia. Si no existiera el efecto invernadero, el promedio de la temperatura de la superficie terrestre sería mucho más frío, de aproximadamente 60° Fahrenheit, y la forma de vida actual sería imposible (Montero, 2022;Mielcarek-Bocheńska y Wojciech, 2021). Kweku (2018) señala que el EI se origina por la interacción entre energía del sol y gases como dióxido de nitroso, gases fluorados, carbono, metano y óxidos presentes en la atmósfera.…”