The abatement challenge for Australian Agriculture：（澳大利亚农业减排的挑战）.pdfVIP

The abatement challenge for Australian Agriculture Richard Eckard, Greenhouse in Agriculture The University of Melbourne and Department of Primary Industries, Victoria. Introduction According to the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGGI 2007) the agricultural sector contributes around 16% of national greenhouse gas emissions (Figure 1). The main greenhouse gases emitted from agriculture include methane lost during rumen digestion (enteric) and nitrous oxide lost from nitrogen fertilisers, animal excreta and soils (Figure 1). Agriculture accounts for 60% and 85% of Australia’s total methane and nitrous oxide emissions, respectively (NGGI 2007), both potent greenhouse gases. While most of the methane lost from agricultural systems comes from rumen fermentation (Figure 1), it is estimated that nitrogen fertiliser is responsible for 16% of nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture with 21% derived from nitrogen in animal excreta. The indirect emissions, related to agriculture’s use of transport and stationary energy account for around 11% of national emissions, but are attributed to the stationary energy and transport sectors in Figure 1. Policy context in Australia While Australia has signed the Kyoto Protocol it has not been ratified into law, unlike the EU and New Zealand, for example, where they now have binding emission reduction targets. However, by 2012 Australia is likely to have implemented a National Emissions Trading Scheme (NETS). At this initial stage it is proposed that a cap on emissions will not apply to the agricultural sector, but this sector will be able to trade offsets eg. tree plantings, to other sectors. In the USA a number of states 1 are planning emissions trading schemes, while the Clean Air Act will in future require reporting of emissions from agriculture. Closer to home, New Zealand is considering an emissions reporting system for the a