Agriculture’s Contribution To National Emissions

Agriculture is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, but how do emissions differ among countries? The relative contribution of agriculture to countries’ emissions budgets can inform priority setting for global programs and policy. It also indicates which countries are likely to have the most interest in reducing their agriculture-related emissions This info note offers an overview of the distribution of agricultural emissions among countries and the relative contribution of agriculture to national emissions. It is based on three data sources: the FAOSTAT database of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) global emission estimates for 2010 and national reports to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).1 Agricultural emissions include methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from livestock, manure management, flooded rice cultivation, agricultural soils and fertilizers, and burning of crop residues and savannas, as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) from liming and urea application. CO2 emissions and uptakes associated with agricultural soils, biomass, and land use change are accounted for in the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector and not included in this analysis.