Carbon myopia: The urgent need for integrated social, economic and environmental action in the livestock sector
Matthew T. Harrison,Brendan Cullen,Dianne Mayberry,Annette Cowie,Franco Bilotto,Warwick Badgery,Ke Liu,TM Davison,KM Christie,Albert Muleke,Richard Eckard +10 more
TLDR
In this article, the authors examine the global distribution of livestock GHG emissions, explore social, economic and environmental co-benefits and trade-offs associated with mitigation interventions and critique approaches for quantifying GHG emission.Abstract:
Livestock have long been integral to food production systems, often not by choice but by need. While our knowledge of livestock greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation has evolved, the prevailing focus has been-somewhat myopically-on technology applications associated with mitigation. Here, we (1) examine the global distribution of livestock GHG emissions, (2) explore social, economic and environmental co-benefits and trade-offs associated with mitigation interventions and (3) critique approaches for quantifying GHG emissions. This review uncovered many insights. First, while GHG emissions from ruminant livestock are greatest in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC; globally, 66% of emissions are produced by Latin America and the Caribbean, East and southeast Asia and south Asia), the majority of mitigation strategies are designed for developed countries. This serious concern is heightened by the fact that 80% of growth in global meat production over the next decade will occur in LMIC. Second, few studies concurrently assess social, economic and environmental aspects of mitigation. Of the 54 interventions reviewed, only 16 had triple-bottom line benefit with medium-high mitigation potential. Third, while efforts designed to stimulate the adoption of strategies allowing both emissions reduction (ER) and carbon sequestration (CS) would achieve the greatest net emissions mitigation, CS measures have greater potential mitigation and co-benefits. The scientific community must shift attention away from the prevailing myopic lens on carbon, towards more holistic, systems-based, multi-metric approaches that carefully consider the raison d'etre for livestock systems. Consequential life cycle assessments and systems-aligned 'socio-economic planetary boundaries' offer useful starting points that may uncover leverage points and cross-scale emergent properties. The derivation of harmonized, globally reconciled sustainability metrics requires iterative dialogue between stakeholders at all levels. Greater emphasis on the simultaneous characterization of multiple sustainability dimensions would help avoid situations where progress made in one area causes maladaptive outcomes in other areas.read more
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Silver lining to a climate crisis in multiple prospects for alleviating crop waterlogging under future climates
Ke Liu,Matthew T. Harrison,Haoliang Yan,De Li Liu,Holger Meinke,Gerrit Hoogenboom,Bin Wang,Bin Peng,Kaiyu Guan,Jonas Jägermeyr,Enli Wang,Feng Zheng,Xiaogang Yin,Sotirios V. Archontoulis,Li-Ping Nie,Ana Badea,Jianguo Man,Daniel Wallach,Jin Zhao,Ana Borrego Benjumea,Shah Fahad,Xiaohai Tian,Weilu Wang,Fulu Tao,Zhao Zhang,Reimund P. Rötter,Youlu Yuan,Min Zhu,Panhong Dai,Jiangwen Nie,Yadong Yang,Yunbo Zhang,Meixue Zhou +32 more
TL;DR: In this article , the authors develop a paradigm that distils common stress patterns across environments, genotypes and climate horizons, and embed improved process-based understanding into a farming system model to discern changes in global crop waterlogging under future climates.
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Climate change benefits negated by extreme heat
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Current Perspectives on Achieving Pronounced Enteric Methane Mitigation From Ruminant Production
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Farm-scale practical strategies to reduce carbon footprint and emergy while increasing economic benefits in crop production in the North China plain
Jun Zou,Yuhao Yang,Shan Shan Shi,Wenjie Li,Xin Zhao,Jing Huang,Hailin Zhang,Ke Liu,Matthew T. Harrison,Fu Chen,Xiaogang Yin +10 more
TL;DR: In this paper , the effects of crop rotations and farm size with optimized nitrogen (N) rate on carbon footprint (CF), emergy and economic benefits to promote agricultural transformation in the North China Plain (NCP) based on 792 on-farm questionnaires.
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Recycling nutrients in the beef supply chain through circular manuresheds: Data to assess tradeoffs.
Sheri Spiegal,Joao M. B. Vendramini,Shabtai Bittman,Maria L. Silveira,C. H. Gifford,Clarence Alan Rotz,John Ragosta,Peter J. A. Kleinman +7 more
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors describe four datasets developed to evaluate options in U.S. and Canadian beef systems and delineate three "circular manuresheds", each encompassing a hay-grazing landscape where beef cattle are raised on grazingland with hay grown nearby, and the distant feedlots where those cattle produce manure nutrients for potential import back to the hayfields.
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