Search
Global energy use and carbon emissions from irrigated agriculture

April 10, 2023 | Nature Communications | Source

Introduction: Researchers from US and China quantify the global impact of irrigation on energy use and carbon emissions, and provide a roadmap for policymakers and agricultural stakeholders.

Key findings: Annually, irrigation activities account for 216 million metric tons of CO2 emissions and consume 1,896 petajoules of energy worldwide. Surprisingly, despite groundwater sources serving only 40% of irrigated land, they drive a staggering 89% of total irrigation energy use due to the prevalence of energy-intensive diesel pumps. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions can potentially reduced by 90% with more efficient and low-carbon irrigation practices, though careful consideration of regional feasibility and technological advancements is needed.

 

Figure | Feasibility of solutions to reduce CO2 emissions of irrigation on a country-level scale. a Feasibility (%) of drip and low-carbon electricity. b Potential contribution (%) of drip and low-carbon electricity to energy-related CO2 emissions reduction based on the feasibility analysis. The pie chart shows the contribution ratio of low-carbon electricity and drip to energy-related CO2 emissions reduction. The values at the bottom of the pie chart represent the total contribution due to a combination of the two solutions. For a more detailed comparison of regional differences, we further divided the six continents into nine sub-regions (See Source Data for the rationale of the classification)

 

 

Viewed Articles
Global energy use and carbon emissions from irrigated agriculture
April 10, 2023 | Nature Communications | Source | Introduction: Researchers from US and China quantify the global impact of irrigation on energy use and carbon emissions, and provide a roadmap for pol
A real-time smart sensing system for automatic localization and recognition of vegetable plants for weed control
Frontiers in Plant Science | Mar 27, 2023Researchers at China Agricultural University have developed a smart weeder to combat weed threats in tomato production. Weeds pose a significant challenge, par
An overview of the interactions between food production and climate change
September 10, 2022 | Science of The Total Environment | Source | Introduction: A global research consortium from UK, Portugal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Nigeria, Japan, Uruguary, Serbia explores how fo
Read More
Climate change and livestock production: a literature review
January 15, 2022 | Atmosphere | Source | Introduction: Livestock both drives and suffers from climate change, contributing 14.5% of global GHG emissions while facing growing climate-induced stress. Re
Enhancing agroecosystem nitrogen management: microbial insights for improved nitrification inhibition
June, 2024 | Trends in Microbiology | Source |  Introduction: Excessive nitrification in agroecosystems causes nitrate leaching and N₂O emissions. Although nitrification inhibitors (NIs) reduce nitrog
Greenhouse gas emission from rice fields: a review from Indian context
April 27, 2021 | Environmental Science and Pollution Research | Source |  Introduction: This review, led by scientists from the Department of Environmental Sciences at Central University of Jharkhand
Toward Low-Carbon Rice Production in China: Historical Changes, Driving Factors, and Mitigation Potential
March 19, 2024 | Environmental Science & Technology | Source |  Introduction: This study, conducted by researchers from Hunan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, evaluates the historical c
Conventional agriculture increases global warming while decreasing system sustainability
November 4, 2024 | Nature Climate Change | Source |  Introduction: The research, led by scientists from South China Agricultural University (China) with a global team from Egypt, Russia, and Germany,
TOP