It’s been suggested that farming contributes to around 12% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with land use associated with agriculture (such as deforestation to clear land for crop production) increasing this overall share to 25% of global GHG emissions. As the climate change emergency continues to threaten global food production and security, there is a growing need to modify or relocate existing farming systems to reduce their environmental impact and ensure a safe, sustainable and sufficient supply of food.
Agriculture, land use and the path to net zero provides a comprehensive overview of the role of agriculture in contributing to GHG emissions, including the role of farming in generating different GHGs and how these can be reduced. It also assesses ways agricultural land use can be used to offset emissions through different carbon sequestration strategies (whether through changing farming practices or restoring landscapes to optimise carbon storage). The book then reviews the challenges and opportunities faced by different regions in developing appropriate land use strategies for agriculture to achieve the goal of net zero.
Dr Robert M. Rees is an Emeritus Professor in Agriculture and Climate Change and former Head of the Carbon Management Centre at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), UK. With over 200 published papers, Professor Rees is internationally renowned for his research on soil carbon sequestration, agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, nutrient cycling and ways agriculture can adapt to climate change.
Dr Jørgen E. Olesen is Professor in Climate Change and Agriculture and Head of the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark. He is also an Adjunct Professor at both China Agricultural University, China and Ganzu Agricultural University, China. He is internationally recognised for his research on the effects of agriculture on the environment and how environmental change affects agroecosystems.
Donald J. Wuebbles is the Harry E. Preble Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Illinois. He is also a special advisor to the President of the University of Illinois, a Distinguished Scientist with the University’s Discovery Partners Institute, as well as the Director of Climate Science for Earth Knowledge. Dr Wuebbles is an expert in atmospheric physics and chemistry, with over 600 scientific publications related to the Earth’s climate, air quality and stratospheric ozone.
Professor Klaus Butterbach-Bahl is a biogeochemist who has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of global changes in terrestrial ecosystems, as well as the exchange of trace gases between the biosphere and the atmosphere. He is known for his research on nitrogen cycles and greenhouse gas emissions (specifically methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen compounds (NO and N₂O) in relation to their agricultural and ecological impact as well as his exploration of practical mitigation options under climate change constraints at regional and global levels.
