Greenhouse Gas Emissions from European Croplands - Specific Study CarboEurope GHG - Synthesis of the European Greenhouse Gas Budget

Abstract

Agriculture is a significant source of the three main biogenic greenhouse gases. Since agricultural management is resonsible for much of this flux, there is potential within the EU-15 to reduce this flux or to sequester soil carbon. By comparing country submissions to the UNFCCC with estimates from IPCC defaults and other sources, discrepancies at the national level within the EU can be seen, though total EU-15 figures are similar across methods. Previous studies have focused on the potential for carbon sequestration and have shown quite significant potential. This study, which examinex the sequestration likely to occur by 2010, suggests that without incentives for carbon sequestration in the future, cropland carbon sequestration under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol will not be an option in EU-15. For reducing emissions of N2O and CH4, there are a number of options that offer significant GHG mitigation, most of which rely upon better fertiliser (mineral and orgnic) use and water management. The livestock and manure management sectors offer greater mitigation potential for methane. There may be trade-offs betweeen different greenhouse gases, especially between carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, so it is important to assess potential mitigation options for their impact upon all greenhouse gases.