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China is a world leader on agriculture production; with only 8% of global cropland it feeds 20% of the world's population. However, the increasing production capacity comes with the cost of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As a populous country with the highest GHG emissions in the world, determining how to achieve the dual goals of mitigating climate change and ensuring food security is of great significance for the agricultural sector. This requires assessing the spatial variation in agricultural greenhouse gases (GHGs) and their drivers. In this study, we conduct a spatial assessment of agricultural GHGs at the provincial level in China for the years 1997-2017, and then explore the effects of related factors on GHG emissions using a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. The results suggest the following. 1) There have always been significant interprovincial variations, whether in the total amount, structure, intensity, or per capita level of agricultural GHG emissions. 2) The directions of the effects of selected factors on GHG intensity fall broadly into three categories: negative effects (urbanization, intensity of agricultural practices, and agricultural structure), positive effects (agricultural investment and cropland endowments), and mixed effects, with factors leading to reductions in some provinces and increases in others (economic level, frequency and intensity of disasters, and the level of mechanization). 3) The magnitude of the effects varies by factor and also by province. The results suggest synergetic province- or state-specific reduction policies in agricultural GHG for China, as well as for other developing and emerging economies., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The household sector, which plays a critical role in emission reduction, is a main source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although numerous academic journals have published papers on household CO 2 emissions (HCEs), great challenges remain in research on assessments, determinants, and further research prospects. This work reviews and projects HCEs using a bibliometric analysis and a systematic review based on the data from the Web of Science (WOS) platform from 1991 to 2020. Over the last 30 years, there has been a rapid and active trend of research on HCEs. We find that (1) the scale of the bibliometric analysis shows that research on HCEs is interdisciplinary and must consider overall cognition of the environment, the economy, society, and technology. It also needs to strengthen cooperation between different countries/territories to emphasize the quality and influence of papers on HCEs. (2) A review of previous literature shows that research on HCEs mainly focuses on the research object, mainstream assessments, and influencing factors. The following six main aspects impact HCEs: demographic, income, social, technological, policy, and natural factors. (3) The research discussion suggests that more micro-level research needs to be conducted, such as research on the city level and the individual level, which is important for sustainable development and low consumption. A comparative analysis of the differences in HCEs is a future research direction. Additionally, localized carbon emission reduction measures need to be implemented.

In reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, there is a recognition triggered by the pandemic of the role that walking and cycling (active travel) can make to substitute motorized travel, particularly on short trips. However, there is a lack of evidence at the micro level on the realistic, empirically derived, potential of these options. Here, we used reliable tracing data to examine the potential of these mitigation options for reducing GHG emissions in Vietnam. Apart from similar categories of travel purposes as in other studies, we decided to categorize "visit relatives" and "eating out" as two more separate categories of travel purposes in Vietnamese case, which together accounts for nearly 16% of total trips. We discovered that 65% of all motorcycle trips in this case study were less than 3 miles in duration, therefore active travel was able to create a significant impact on GHG emissions from personal travel. Active travel can replace 62% of short motorcycle trips if considering travel patterns and constraints while saving 18% of GHG emissions that would have come from motorized transport. If active travel can further replace all shopping trips normally done by motorcycles, in total being equivalent to 84% of short trips, 22% of GHG emissions from motorcycles can be reduced. It should be noticed that active travels have time cost implications, impacting economy at both household and city levels, but from a comprehensive "co-benefit" standpoint, this transformation could act as a catalyst for addressing traffic congestion, air pollution, and even community health and well-being in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article tracks the intergovernmental negotiations aimed at combatting human-induced greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from COP21 and the creation of the Paris Agreement in 2015 to COP24 in Katowice, Poland in 2018. These conferences are explored in detail, focusing on the Pans Rulebook negotiations around how to implement market- and nonmarket-based approaches to mitigating climate change, as set out in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and the tensions regarding the inclusion of negotiating text safeguarding human rights. A concluding section comments on the collapse of Article 6 discussions and the implications for climate justice and social quality for the Paris Agreement going forward. Keywords: human rights, market mechanisms, Paris Agreement, Paris Rulebook, social quality, The Inconvenient Truth of Too Much Carbon in the Atmosphere While the Paris Agreement provides a means for all countries, rich and poor, to collectively reduce emissions, keeping global temperatures [...]

The synergistic greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of the crop production (CP) and livestock farming (LF) sectors is of great significance for food security and low-carbon development, especially for China, the world leader in agricultural production. In this paper, the GHG emissions from the CP and LF sectors are accounted for and compared, and the spatial econometric model is adopted for comparative study based on the panel data from 1997 to 2021. The results show that: (1) The total amount and intensity of GHG emissions from both sectors showed obvious spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence, and the spatial distribution pattern was relatively stable. (2) The influence of each factor on the GHG intensity and spatial characteristics of CP and LF varies widely. For the CP sector, economic development (local effect −0.29, adjacent effect +1.13), increased urbanization rate (−0.24, +0.16), agricultural structure (−0.29, +0.05), and urban-rural disparity (−0.03, +0.17) all reduce the GHG intensity of local region, while increasing the GHG intensity of its adjacent areas, signifying leakage. The economic structure (+0.06, +0.16), agricultural finance support (+0.02, +0.26), mechanization level (+0.05, +0.03), and land occupancy rate (+0.54, +0.44) all play a role in increasing the GHG intensity of CP in the local region and its adjacent areas. The disaster degree (−0.03, −0.03) also reduced the GHG intensity of CP. For the LF sector, economic structure (+0.08, +0.11), urban-rural disparity (+0.11, +0.21), agricultural development level (+0.03, +0.50), and increased land occupancy rate (+0.05, +0.01) can improve the GHG intensity of the one region and adjacent areas. Economic development (+0.03, −0.15), urbanization rate (+0.04, −0.30), agricultural structure (+0.09, −0.03), and disaster degree (+0.02, −0.06) can increase the GHG intensity of the local region while reducing the GHG intensity of adjacent areas. Based on the results, under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization(dual-carbon) goals, this study first puts forward collaborative emission reduction measures for CP and LF, respectively, then further rises to sector synergy and regional synergy, and constructs the countermeasure system framework of collaborative emission reduction from three levels, to provide guidance and reference for the realization of dual goals of agricultural GHG reduction and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Farm forestry is a very minor land use in the inland agricultural landscapes of Australia. The Australian Government intends to introduce a program to encourage landholders to trade the carbon sequestration value of plantations and this may change the relative profitability of plantations against other agricultural land uses. This research compares the returns from a timber and ‘carbon’ plantation, with those from grazing and a common crop rotation in the Kingaroy area of Queensland. Typical production patterns for all systems were developed from producer and expert knowledge and soil and vegetation sampling were used to estimate sequestration rates. The costs and benefits of all land use systems were converted into monetary terms and discounted to produce net present values. With a standard discount rate and average commodity prices based on recent history, cultivation is the most profitable option, followed by pasture and plantations. After the inclusion of carbon, plantations are the most profitable option, followed by pasture and cultivation. A number of qualifications of these findings are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Enhancing water productivity is often recommended as a “soft option” in addressing the problem of increasing water scarcity. However, improving water productivity, particularly through water reuse, incurs additional investment and may result in increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we analysed the water productivity and GHG implications of water reuse through pumping groundwater and creek water, and compare this with gravity-fed canal irrigation in the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) in the Philippines. Water productivity indicators show that water reuse contributes significantly to water productivity. For example, water productivity with respect to gross inflow (WPgross) with water reuse (0.19kggrain/m3) is 21% higher than without water reuse (0.15kggrain/m3). However, there is a tradeoff between increasing water productivity and water reuse as water reuse increases GHG emissions. The estimated GHG emission from water reuse (pumping irrigation) is 1.47 times higher than without water reuse (gravity-fed canal irrigation). Given increasing concerns about climate change and the need to reduce carbon emissions, we recommend that a higher priority be given to water reuse only in areas where water scarcity is a serious issue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

One of the assumptions underlying efforts to convert cropping land, especially marginal crop land, to plantations is that there will be a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, with a gas “sink” replacing a high energy system in which the breakdown of biomass is routinely accelerated to prepare for new crops. This research, based on case studies in Kingaroy in southeast Queensland, compares the amount of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from a peanut/maize crop rotation, a pasture system for beef production and a spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora) timber plantation. Three production inputs, fuel, farm machinery and agrochemicals (fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides) are considered. The study extends beyond the farm gate to include packing and transportation and the time period is 30 years. The results suggest that replacing the crops with plantations would indeed reduce emissions but that a pasture system would have even lower net emissions. These findings cast some doubt on the case for farm forestry as a relatively effective means of ameliorating greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Analysing the levels of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions from land use, land use change and forestry activities on Annex I countries ability to meet Kyoto targets," by Tek Narayan Maraseni, Jerry Maroulis, and Mehryar Nooriafshar is presented.