The environmental consequences of a change in Australian cotton lint production

Nguyen, Quan Van; Wiedemann, Stephen; Simmons, Aaron; Clarke, Simon J.

doi:10.1007/s11367-021-01994-y

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Lienhardt et al [34] found a 17-fold increase in land use associated with the production of gin from peas instead of wheat, as well as a 13% reduction in energy use, a 75% reduction in acidification, a range in eutrophication impacts from −113% to +700%, a range in toxicity impacts from −38% to +470%, a 38% reduction in photochemical oxidation, a 2% reduction in ozone depletion, and a 3% reduction in ionizing radiation (Tables 4-12). Nguyen et al [44] found 286% increase in land use per kg of cotton expansion and a 293% decrease per kg of cotton contraction (Table 4). Per kg of cotton expansion, they also found increases of 157% in energy use, 52% in water consumption, 81% in water stress, and 500% in eutrophication (Tables 5-8).…”

Section: Other Environmental Impact Categories Included In Crop Clca ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four studies focused on South American systems, specifically sorghum production for bioenergy [40], an increase in grape production for pisco [41], the use of bioethanol residue as fertilizer in sugarcane production [42], and the introduction of yield-enhancing inoculants to soybean production systems grown in rotation with corn crops [43]. There was one study that took place in Australia, which assessed the expansion or contraction of Australian cotton production by 50% [44].…”

Section: Representation Of Crops and Geographical Regions In Clca Stu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An increase in production of 1 kg of bananas was estimated to result in an increase of up to 0.34 kg CO 2 e from the production and transportation of the bananas [37]. A 50% increase in production of Australian cotton would result in a 7000-fold decrease in CO 2 e per kg, and a 50% decrease would result in a 7000-fold increase in CO 2 e per kg cotton, including indirect land use change impacts of avoided protein feed and palm oil production [44].…”

Section: Impacts Of Changes On Ghg Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three studies assessed a change in amounts of production or consumption of crops, included the introduction of 1 t GM soy meal for feed [35], the production of IL gin from peas instead of wheat [34], and the expansion or contraction of Australian cotton production by 50% [44]. Eriksson et al [35] found a 320% increase in land use with GM soy compared to non-GM, a 65% increase in energy use, a 165% increase in acidification, an 11-191% increase in eutrophication (depending on the eutrophication category), a 36% reduction in toxicity, a 126% increase in carcinogens, a 102% increase in photochemical oxidation, a 76% increase in ozone depletion, a 100% increase in ionizing radiation and a 361% increase in respiratory emissions (Tables 4-13).…”

Section: Other Environmental Impact Categories Included In Crop Clca ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nguyen et al 2021 [44] Table 7. Impacts of modelled changes on the estimated acidifying emissions of the production of crops in consequential life cycle assessment studies.…”

Section: Changes In Production or Consumption Volumes Of Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consequential Life Cycle Assessment of Grain and Oilseed Crops: Review and Recommendations

et al. 2023

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The field crop industry in Canada is a source of both significant economic benefits and environmental impacts. Environmental impacts include land and energy use, as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions. Impacts also accrue upstream of the field in the product supply chain, from the production of such inputs as fertilizers and pesticides. There are currently two types of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA)—attributional LCA (ALCA) and consequential LCA (CLCA)—that may be used to study the life cycle impacts of products such as field crops. ALCA is a retrospective methodology that presents a snapshot of average, “status quo” conditions. CLCA is a prospective methodology that presents the potential implications of changes in a product system, including any associated market-mediated changes in supply or demand in other product systems. Thus, CLCAs can be used to assess large-scale changes in the field crop industry, including its relationship to other sectors and processes, such as the production of biofuel or of food for both human and animal consumption. The aim of this paper is to review and curate the knowledge derived through published CLCA studies that assessed the impacts of changes to field crop production systems on the life cycle resource use and emissions associated with the agricultural products, with a focus on their relevance to temperate climate conditions. The current study also highlights how previous studies, including ALCAs and farm management recommendations, can be used to inform the changes that should be studied using CLCA. The main challenges to conducting CLCAs include identifying the system boundaries, marginal products and processes that would be impacted by changes to field crop production. Marginal markets and product systems to include can be determined using economic equilibrium models, or information from local experts and industry reports. In order to conduct ISO-compliant CLCAs, it is necessary to include multiple relevant environmental impact categories, and to perform robust data quality and uncertainty analyses.

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Section: Other Environmental Impact Categories Included In Crop Clca ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Representation Of Crops and Geographical Regions In Clca Stu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Impacts Of Changes On Ghg Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Other Environmental Impact Categories Included In Crop Clca ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nguyen et al 2021 [44] Table 7. Impacts of modelled changes on the estimated acidifying emissions of the production of crops in consequential life cycle assessment studies.…”

Section: Changes In Production or Consumption Volumes Of Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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