Excerpt
Climate change, caused by anthropogenic emissions through fossil fuel combustion and land use conversion including deforestation, is a major global issue of the twenty-first century. Estimates of anthropogenic emissions for 2014 include about 10 Pg (11 billion tn) of carbon (C) through fossil fuel combustion and ~1 Pg (1 billion tn) C from deforestation and land use conversion. Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the period of 144 years from 1870 to 2014 is estimated at 545 ± 55 Pg C (600 ± 61 billion tn C; 2,000 ± 200 Pg CO2 [2,200 ± 220 billion tn CO2]), about 75% from fossil fuel combustion and about 25% from land use change (Le Quéré et al. 2014). Agricultural activities contribute, both directly and indirectly, about 30% of the total anthropogenic emissions (IPCC 2014). Therefore, agriculture must be integral to any agenda to mitigate the climate change.
National commitments made thus far to reduce gaseous emissions may allow global temperatures to increase by 3°C (5.4°F) by 2100 (“How much warming” 2015), which far exceeds the 2°C (3.6°F) limit accepted by the Group of Eight (G-8) nations as per the L'Aquila Accord in 2009 (Reuters 2009). Therefore, there is an urgent need…
- © 2015 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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