A New Approach to Estimate Emissions of Nitrous Oxide from Agriculture and Its Implications to the Global Nitrous Oxide Budget
By A. Mosier and C. Koreze. IGACtivities Newsletter No. 12, March 1998
ActionAID
Food, Farmers and Fuel: Balancing Global Grain and Energy Policies with Sustainable Land Use. 2008.
Carnegie Mellon University
Christopher L. Weber and H. Scott Matthews. Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States. March 2008.
Center for Global Development
William R. Cline. Global Warming and Agriculture: Impact Estimates by Country. September 2007.
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Michael Jacobson. Six Arguments for a Greener Diet. 2006.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Mike Tidwell. Food and the Climate Crisis: What You Eat Affects the Sky.
City University London
Tim Lang. Food Security or Food Democracy? In Pesticides News 78, December 2007.
Climatic Change
R. Rotter and S.C. van de Geijn. Climate Change Effects on Plant Growth, Crop Yield and Livestock. In Climatic Change, December 1999.
Climatic Change
D.T. Patterson, J.K. Westbrook, R.J.V. Joyce, P.D. Lingren, and J. Rogasik. Weeds, Insects, and Diseases. In Climatic Change, December 1999.
Columbia University
Robert L. Tate, III. Climate Change and the Global Harvest. Potential Impacts of the Greenhouse Effect on Agriculture. In Soil Science, March 1999.
Columbia University Law School – Human Rights Institute
Elisabeth Caesens and Maritere Padilla Rodriguez. Climate Change and the Right to Food: A Comprehensive Study. 2009.
Cool Foods Campaign: A series of fact sheets published by the Cool Foods Campaign covering the climate effects as a result of various facets of food systems.
Is Industrial Agriculture Cooking the Planet? details how large-scale modernized industrial farms rely heavily on fossil fuels-intensive practices, and are major contributors of GHGs. Pesticide and fertilizer production and application, irrigation, lighting, transportation, and other machinery are powered by GHG-emitting fossil fuels. The production of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides alone require the equivalent use of over 123 million barrels of oil, making them one of the largest contributors to GHG emissions in agriculture.
PDF Available Here
From Field to Feedlot to Fork documents the impact that animal agriculture has on climate change. Animal production accounts for 18 percent of global GHG emissions (in terms of CO2 equivalent), due mainly to nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions from waste management practices and enteric fermentation. Informed dietary choices, such as switching to a vegetarian diet or eating only animal products produced under organic and grass-fed standards, support food systems that produce fewer GHGs and contribute less to climate change, reducing an individual’s carbon “foodprint.”
PDF Available Here
Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR)
Available Here
Congressional Research Service
Renee Johnson. Climate Change: The Role of the U.S. Agriculture Sector and Congressional Action. June 2009.
Consequences
Cynthia Rosenzweig and Daniel Hillel. Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food Supply. In Consequences, Summer 1995.
Cornell University
David Pimentel and Marcia Pimentel. Land, Energy and Water: The Constraints Governing Ideal U.S. Population Size. 1990.
Cornell University
David Pimentel. Climate Changes and Food Supply. In Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, 1993.
Environment America Research & Policy Center
Timothy Telleen-Lawton. Hotter Fields, Lower Yields: How Global Warming Could Hurt America’s Farms. April 2009.
Environmental Defense Fund
Fighting Global Warming with Food: Low-Carbon Choices for Dinner. July 2007.
European Union
European Union Report on Agriculture and Environment
PDF Available Here
European Environment Agency
Agriculture and Environment in EU-15 – the IRENA Indicator Report. January 2006.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Press Release: More people than ever are victims of hunger
June 2009
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Livestock’s Long Shadow: environmental issues and options
Rome, 2006
Report Available Here
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Lee-Ann Jaykus, Marion Woolridge, J. Michael Frank, Marina Miraglia, Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, Cristina Tirado, Renata Clarke, and Mary Friel. Climate Change: Implications for Food Safety. 2008.
Food Climate Research Network
Tara Garnett. Cooking up a Storm: Food, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Our Changing Climate. September 2008.
Food Ethics Council
Meat Consumption Trends and Environmental Implications. November 2007.
Gastronomica
Michele Field. Climate Change and the Future of Taste. In Gastronomica, Fall 2008.
Global Change & Human Health
Cynthia Rosenzweig, Ana Iglesias, X.B. Yang, Paul R. Epstein, and Eric Chivian. Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events; Implications for Food Production, Plant Diseases, and Pests. In Global Change & Human Health, December 2001.
Humane Society of the United States
An HSUS Report: The Impact of Animal Agriculture on Global Warming and Climate Change. 2008.
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Sarah Ellis. The Changing Climate for Food and Agriculture: A Literature Review. October 2008.
International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development
Anthony Okon Nyong. Climate Change, Agriculture and Trade: Implications for Sustainable Development. May 2008.
International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development
Climate Change and Trade on the Road to Copenhagen. May 2008.
International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development
Hasit Shah. The Future of Agriculture: A Global Dialogue amongst Stakeholders. May 2008.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Gerald C. Nelson. Agriculture and Climate Change: An Agenda for Negotiation in Copenhagen. May 2009.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Tim Lang. Agriculture, Food, and Health – Perspectives on a Long Relationship. 2006.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, and Technology for Development (IAASTD)
Summary for Decision Makers of the Global Report, 2008
PDF Available Here
International Forum on Globalization
The Rise and Predictable Fall of Globalized Industrial Agriculture
By D. Barker, 2007
PDF Available Here
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report
Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Core Writing Team, Pachauri, R.K. and Reisinger, A. (Eds.)
PDF Available Here
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds. Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of WorkingGroup II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2007.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group III.
Chapter on Agriculture, within Climate Change 2007: Mitigation.
Smith, P., D. Martino, Z. Cai, D. Gwary, H. Janzen, P. Kumar, B. McCarl, S. Ogle, F. O’Mara, C. Rice, B. Scholes, O. Sirotenko, 2007: Agriculture. In Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [B. Metz, O.R. Davidson, P.R. Bosch, R. Dave, L.A. Meyer (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture
Manifesto on Climate and the Future of Food Security, 2008
Editors:
Debi Barker, Center for Food Safety (CFS)
Vandana Shiva, Research Foundation for Technology, Science, and Ecology; and Navdanya
Caroline Lockhart, Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture
This report, published by the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, assesses that the industrial and globalized food system is a major contributor to climate change, contributing at least 25 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the report also demonstrates that the present food system is also extremely vulnerable to climate change. Almost every corner of the globe has already been touched by dramatic weather shifts that have affected crop production and food distribution.
Yet, governments are not fully integrating the contradiction between promoting an industrial, fossil-fuel driven food system that creates both food insecurity and climate and energy insecurity. The Commission’s report synthesizes interdisciplinary scientific research that establishes that ecological organic agriculture is a vital solution both for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, and for ensuring food security for all.
The Commission is a joint initiative between the regional government of Tuscany and a group of leaders of civil society, academics, and government representatives.
The Manifesto on Climate Change and the Future of Food Security can be found at
www.future-food.org or www.arsia.toscana.it
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Gunther Fischer, Mahendra Shah, and Harrij van Velthuizen. Climate Change and Agricultural Vulnerability. 2002.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Gunther Fischer, Mahendra Shah, Harrij van Velthuizen, and Freddy O. Nachtergaele. Global Agro-ecological Assessment for Agriculture in the 21st Century. 2001.
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Identifying our Climate FoodPrint: Assessing and Reducing the Global Warming Impacts of Food and Agriculture in the U.S.
By Jennifer Edwards, Jim Kleinschmit and Heather Schoonover, 2009
The article explores the role of agriculture in reaching GHG emissions targets and cites the importance of “diverse, decentralized, resilient and synergistic” agricultural systems in order to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to climate change. The U.S. needs to find ways to transition to an ecological system while maintaining yield, and to support climate-friendly practices worldwide. All aspects of the “food life cycle” are taken into account, including percent GHGs emitted by different sectors of the U.S. farm system. On-farm activities are the greatest agricultural contributor to GHG emissions. Climate-friendly practices are detailed for production, processing, transportation, and consumption and disposal, so that agriculture can become part of the climate solution, rather than remain part of the problem.
Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development
Donald Kaniaru, Rajendra Shende, Scott Stone, and Durwood Zaelke. Strengthening the Montreal Protocol: Insurance Against Abrupt Climate Change. March 2007.
Minnesota University
Vernon W. Rutta, Ed. Agriculture Environment & Health: Sustainable Development in the 21st Century. 1994.
Monthly Review
Jules Pretty. Can Ecological Agriculture Feed Nine Billion People? In Monthly Review, November 2009.
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA)
Agriculture, Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration
By Jeff Schahczenski and Holly Hill, 2009
This report provides background on climate change effects and the GHG emissions associated with plant and animal agriculture. These sectors contribute a great deal of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere due to agricultural practices including: the production of nitrogen-based fertilizers; the combustion of fossil fuels; waste management; and enteric fermentation. CH4 and N2O are especially important gases to recognize for their global warming potential, due to their potency and persistence in the environment. However, there are many agricultural methods that can have positive effects in mitigating climate change. These practices include: organic production; cover-cropping; reduced fertilizer use; land conservation; water management; and improved manure management. The report also reviews the advantages and disadvantages to farmers and the agricultural sector of a cap-and-trade system, a carbon tax, and subsidies as methods to encourage efforts to curb GHG emissions and mitigate adverse climate change effects.
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Food Miles: How Far Your Food Travels Has Serious Consequences For Your Health and the Climate, 2007
A short document outlining the environmental implications, especially pertaining to climate change, of growing, processing and transporting food. NRDC findings show that locally sourced food is the best choice for the ecological and health conscious consumer. The document discusses food miles, the impact of air pollution from food transportation on health, and the increases in GHG emissions from food transport. Finally, the document advises supporting communities and the environment by buying locally.
PDF Available Here
Nature
Cynthia Rosenzweig and Martin L. Parry. Potential Impact of Climate Change on World Food Supply. In Nature, January 1994.
Article available for purchase Here
Overseas Development Institute
Eva Ludi, Christopher Stevens, Leo Peskett, and Lidia Cabral. Climate Change and Agriculture: Agricultural Trade, Markets and Investment. March 2007.
Post Carbon Institute (PCI)
The Food and Farming Transition Toward a Post Carbon Food System
By Richard Heinberg and Michael Bomford, 2009
A report detailing the social and environmental impacts of the industrial food system, arguing that the American food system’s current dependence on fossil fuels is not sustainable. Though this system makes food cheap and abundant, hidden costs include: environmental degradation from fertilizer runoff; deforestation; soil degradation; lower food quality; economic disadvantages for smaller producers; and pesticide and herbicide pollution of air and water that has negatively impacted public health and the health of ecosystems. The food system’s dependence on fossil fuels also makes food sources extremely vulnerable to the oil supply. In order to wean our food system off fossil fuels, farmers must sequester carbon in soils, reduce pesticide use, use renewable energy, rely on more local food sources, consume less meat, and produce on a smaller scale. PCI advocates a careful and intentional transition to a new system with more farmers, smaller and more diversified farms, less processing, and more local consumption.
Soil Science Society of America
Does Soil Impact Climate Change?
Sustainable Table
Anna Lappe. The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork. October 2008.
Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis
By Vandana Shiva, October 2008
South End Press, $15 paperback original, ISBN: 9780896087828
In Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis (South End Press, 2008), Dr. Vandana Shiva guides us through the current discussion on agricultural reform and climate change, and dares us to imagine a truly sustainable world. She speaks with a bold and visionary voice that compels us to address the shortage of food and the destruction of the environment simultaneously, arguing that they are inherently linked, and that any attempt to solve one without the other will get us nowhere. With her customary sharp insight and accessible style, Shiva’s latest work exposes the myriad ways in which industrial agricultural practices not only cause hunger and poverty but also cause untold environmental destruction. At the heart of the innovative links that Shiva makes between the environment, food production, and social justice is a bold question: Does our future lie with soil or oil?
The Oakland Institute
Lim Li Ching. Sustainable Agriculture: Meeting Food Security Needs, Addressing Climate Change Challenges. October 2008.
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development & Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2007-2016. 2007.
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development
Environmental Performance of Agriculture in OECD Countries Since 1990. 2008.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Wolfram Schlenker and Michael J. Roberts. Nonlinear Temperature Effects Indicate Severe Damages to U.S. Crop Yields Under Climate Change. July 2009.
Article available for purchase at http://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15594.abstract
Texas A&M University
Bruce A. McCarl, Richard M. Adams, and Brian H. Hurd. Global Climate Change and Its Impact on Agriculture. February 2001.
Texas A&M University – Department of Agricultural Economics
Chi-Chung Chen and Bruce A. McCarl. An Investigation of the Relationship Between Pesticide Usage and Climate Change. In Climatic Change, September 2001.
Third World Network
Food Crisis, Climate Change and the Importance of Sustainable Agriculture
By Martin Khor, 2008
Agriculture both affects and is affected by climate change. Directly, agriculture emits billions of tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually through soil and manure management practices, biomass burning, and enteric fermentation in cattle. Indirectly, agricultural contributions to climate change include emissions from pesticide and fertilizer production and application and emissions from land-use changes as a result of land being converted into crop land. The adverse effects of climate change can be detrimental to agricultural production especially in developing countries, due especially to water scarcity and increasing frequency droughts and floods. As these effects become more apparent, they will only worsen food security in vulnerable regions. However, agriculture can also play a role in mitigating and adapting to climate change, especially through the employment of sustainable and organic practices to reduce emissions, improve irrigation methods, and increase food production in developing countries.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Doug Gurian-Sherman. CAFOs Uncovered: The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations. April 2008.
United Nations Environment Programme
The Environmental Food Crisis. 2009.
United States Climate Change Science Program
The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity in the United States. 2008.
United States Department of Agriculture
Climate Change: Economic Implications for World Agriculture
PDF Available Here
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Rachel Hauser, Steve Archer, Peter Backlund, Jerry Hatfield, Anthony Janetos, Dennis Lettenmaier, Mike G. Ryan, David Schimel, and Margaret Walsh. The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems. December 2009.
United States Department of State
Fourth Climate Action Report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2006.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Report on Agricultural Emissions
PDF Available Here
United States Global Change Research Program
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States
PDF Available Here
United States Global Change Research Program
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States: A State of Knowledge Report from the U.S. Global Change Research Program. 2009.
University of Essex
J.N. Pretty, A.S. Ball, T. Lang, and J.I.L. Morison. Farm Costs and Food Miles: An Assessment of the Full Cost of the UK Weekly Food Basket. 2005.
University of Oxford
C. Rosenzweig, M.L. Parry, G. Fischer, and K. Frohberg. Climate Change and World Food Supply. 1993.
Western Journal of Agricultural Economics
R.M. Adams, B.A. McCarl, D.J. Dudek, and J.D. Glyer. Implications of Global Climate Change for Western Agriculture. December 1988.
The World Bank
‘Climate Smart’ World Within Reach, Says World Bank
November 9, 2009
The World Bank.
Jules Pretty. Agroecological Approaches to Agricultural Development. (Background paper for the World Development Report 2008) November 2006.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Agricultural Ecosystems: Facts and Trends. 2008.
World Resources Institute
Paul Faeth and Suzie Greenhalgh. A Climate and Environmental Strategy for U.S. Agriculture. November 2000.
World Watch
Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang. Livestock and Climate Change: What If the Key Actors in Climate Change Are Cows, Pigs, and Chickens? November/December 2009.
