Is the EU agriculture becoming low-carbon? Trends in the intensity of GHG emissions from agricultural production

Abstract

GHG emissions from agriculture account for as much as 18% of the total human related emissions. In Europe, it is 12%. To reduce overall emissions, it is also necessary to reduce them from agricultural production. The study aims to assess the size and dynamics of changes in emissions from agriculture in EU countries. Based on FAO data, a trend in 1999–2019 was determined. It was also assessed how the level of emissions changed per production unit, including the extent to which these changes resulted from changes in the production volume and to what extent from the improvement of the production techniques. Overall, production increased by about 0.8% during the period under review, and GHG emissions decreased by 10.8% to 587 Mt CO2 eq. As a result, the emission intensity decreased by 11.5% from 1.74 to 1.54 kg CO2 eq. per 1 Int. $. There were differences in reducing emissions per unit of production between countries. The emissions per unit decreased more in the NMS with less developed agriculture, which has more significant potential to improve produc tion techniques. In more developed countries, changes were minor, and some even increased emissions per production unit. The main factor in reducing the emission intensity by 0.2 kg CO2 eq. per 1 Int. $ was the introduction of better production techniques with a 74% share in this change; to a lesser extent, it was possi ble through better use of energy in farms (26% share). Further reduction of the emission intensity will be relatively small. It may result from the regional intensifi cation of agriculture, the increase in production scale, and the higher level of mechanization. A more signifi cant reduction of emissions will require a reduction of production and changes in its structure, mainly limiting the production of cattle and milk and thus changes in the level and food consumption structure.

Selected Economic Determinants of Labor Profitability in Family Farms in Poland in Relation to Economic Size

“…It is worth noting that the assessment of the importance of the existence of small farms for regions' social sustainability and biodiversity in many locations of the world is perceived as crucial [7]. There is also some evidence that emissions and resource use efficiency are lower in such farms than they are in middle-sized farms [8,9], especially in low-income countries [10].…”