Role of livestock and agriculture production system in Low-carbon economy

Dr.Kedar Karki. M.V.Sc.Preventive veterinary medicine,Senior Veterinary

Officer,Central veterinary laboratory Tripureshwor
,Kthmandu,4261938,9841258735,

drkedar_karki@yahoo.com

Abstract:
A Low-Carbon Economy is a popular term that refers to an Economy which has
a minimal output of Greenhouse Gas emissions into the biosphere, but
specifically refers to the greenhouse gas Carbon Dioxide. Recently, most of
scientific and public opinion has come to the conclusion there is an
unreasonable accumulation of Greenhouse Gases(especially CO2) in our
atmosphere; our species is to blame for this accumulation, and the over-
concentrations of these gases will fundamentally change our climate
dangerously in the foreseeable future. Globally implemented Low-Carbon
Economy's therefore, are proposed as a means to avoid catastrophic climate
change, and as a precursor to an ideal zero-carbon economy.
Key Word:

Low-Carbon Economy, Greenhouse Gas, Carbon capture and storage, Primary

Sector, Crops, Glasshouse crops, Irrigated arable crops, Livestock, Kyoto
protocol,

General Background:
Nuclear Power, or, the proposed strategies of Carbon capture and storage have
been proposed as the primary means to achieve a Low-Carbon Economy while
continuing to exploit non-renewable resources; there is concern, however, with
the matter of spent-nuclear-fuel storage, and the uncertainty of costs and time
needed to successfully implement Carbon capture and storage worldwide and
with guarantees that the stored emissions will not leak into the biosphere.
Alternatively, many have proposed renewable energy should be the main basis
of a Low-Carbon Economy , but, they have their associated problems of high-
cost and inefficiency; this is changing, however, since investment and
production have been growing significantly in recent
times(http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories). Furthermore, regardless of the
effect to the biosphere by GHG emissions, the growing issue of peak oil may
also be reason enough for a transition to a Low-Carbon Economy.

The aim of a Low-Carbon Economy is to integrate all aspects of itself from its
manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and power-generation etc. around
technologies that produce energy and materials with little GHG emission; and
thus, around populations, buildings, machines and devices which use those
energies and materials efficiently, and, dispose of or recycle its wastes so as to

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have a minimal output of Greenhouse Gaseses. Furthermore, it has been
proposed that to make the transition to an Low-Carbon Economy economically
viable we would have to attribute a cost(per unit output) to Greenhouse Gases
through means such as emissions trading and/or a carbon tax.

Primary Sector involved in manipulation of Carbon economy:

Agriculture

Foodstuffs should be produced as close as possible to the final consumers

(preferably within walking/cycling distance). This will reduce the amount of
carbon-based energy necessary to transport the foodstuffs. Consumers can also
buy fresh food rather than processed food, since carbon-based energy might be
used to process the food. Cooking presents another opportunity to conserve
energy. Energy could be saved if farmers produced more foods that people
would eat raw.

Also, most of the agricultural facilities in the developed world are mechanized
due to rural electrification. Rural electrification has produced significant
productivity gains, but it also uses a lot of energy. For this and other reasons
(such as transport costs) in the low-carbon, rural areas will rely heavily on
locally and renewably produced electricity.

Irrigation can be one of the main components of an agricultural facility's energy

consumption. In parts of California it can be up to 90%
(http://www.fypower.org/agri).In the low carbon economy, irrigation
equipment will be maintained and continually updated and farms will use less
irrigation water.

Crops

Different crops require different amounts of energy input. For example,

glasshouse crops, irrigated crops, and orchards require a lot of energy to
maintain, while row crops and field crops don’t need as much maintenance.
Those glasshouse and irrigated crops that do exist will incorporate the
following improvements (http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/policies-
initiatives/energy-pilot-scheme.html)

Glasshouse crops:

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 • environmental control systems
• heat recovery using condensers
• heat storage using buffer tanks
• heat retention using thermal screens
• alternative fuels (e.g. waste wood)
• cogeneration (heat and power)

Irrigated arable crops:

• soil moisture measurement to regulate irrigation

• variable speed drives on pumps

Livestock

Livestock operations can also use a lot of energy depending on how they are
run. Feed lots use animal feed made from corn, soybeans, and other crops.
Energy must be expended to produce these crops, process and transport them.
Free-range animals find their own vegetation to feed on. The farmer may
expend energy to take care of that vegetation, but not nearly as much as the
farmer who grows cereal and oil-seed crops.

Many livestock operations currently use a lot of energy to water their livestock.
In the low-carbon economy, such operations will use more water conservation
methods such as rainwater collection, water cisterns, etc and they will also
pump/distribute that water with on-site renewable energy sources (most likely
wind and solar).Due to rural electrification, most agricultural facilities in the
developed world use a lot of electricity. In a low-carbon economy, farms will be
run and equipped to allow for greater energy efficiency. The dairy industry, for
example, will incorporate the following changes:
(http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/policies-initiatives/energy-pilot-
scheme.html)

Irrigated Dairy

• heat recovery on milk vats

• variable speed drives on motors/pumps
• heat recovery from hot water wash
• soil moisture measurement to regulate irrigation
• biodigester with cogen (heat & power)
• vat wrap
• solar water heating
• ripple control
• ice bank
• chemical substitute for hot water wash

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Forestry

In the low-carbon economy, forestry operations will be focused on low-impact

practices and regrowth. Forest managers will make sure that they do not
disturb soil based carbon reserves too much. Specialized tree farms will be
the main source of material for many products. Quick maturing tree varieties
will be grown on short rotations in order to maximize output
http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/.

Initial steps

Internationally, the most prominent early step in the direction of a low-carbon

economy was the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, which came into force on
February 16, 2005, under which most industrialized countries committed to
reduce their carbon emissions.[15][16] Importantly, all member nations of the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development except the United
States have ratified the protocol.

Asia and Ocenia

Australia

Although the Australian Government has been reluctant to implement any

emission reduction targets or regulations, the market has seen the voluntary
development of carbon neutral businesses. Many Australian carbon offset
companies offer carbon neutrality of businesses based on life cycle impact
assessments of varying detail. One offset provider,the Carbon Reduction
Institute, has produced a Low Carbon Directory, to promote a low carbon
economy in Australia. As recent as December 2007, the Australian prime
minister Kevin Rudd has signed the Kyoto protocol, the first document he
signed as prime minister of Australia.

China

In China, the city of Dongtan is to be built to be produce zero net greenhouse

gas emissions http://www.statics.is/uploads./files/LHO6/LHO60701.xls.

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Europe

Iceland

By exploiting geothermal energy and hydropower, renewable energy in Iceland

provides over 70% of the nation's primary energy needs since 1999, and 99.9% of
Iceland's electricity (http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx). As a result
Iceland's carbon emissions per capita are 62% lower than those of the United
States despite using more primary energy per capita
(http://eng.idnadarraduneyti.is/publication/nr/1170).Iceland expects to use
100% renewable energy by 2050 by generating hydrogen fuel from renewable
energy sources.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, a draft Climate Change Bill outlining a framework for
the transition to a low-carbon economy was published on March 13, 2007. This
legislation would require a 60% cut in the UK's carbon emissions by 2050
(compared to 1990 levels), with an intermediate target of between 26% and
32% by 2020 (http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070313a.htm.) If approved,
the UK would likely become the first country to set such a long-range and
significant carbon reduction target into law
(http://wwwbaltimoreSun.com/new/nationworld/balte.britain/4march14.1o,2
049156.story).

Cities

Companies are planning large scale developments without using fossil fuels.
Development plans such as those by World Wide Assets LLC for entire cities
using only geothermal energy for electricity, geothermal desalination, and
employing full recycling systems for water and waste are under development
(2006) in Mexico and Australia.

Zero-carbon economy

A zero-carbon (also called non-carbon or post-carbon) economy is a step

beyond a low-carbon economy. This may include the complete elimation of the
use of fossil fuels and be based on renewable alternative energy sources.

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As of 2007, Iceland and Sweden, with their petroleum phase-outs, are making
big progresses in this direction, with a lot of organizations in the rest of
countries, promoting also zero-carbon.

Mitigation efforts in developed and developing countries:

In order to reconcile economic development with mitigating carbon emissions,

developing countries need particular support, both financial and technical. One
of the means of achieving this is the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM). The World Bank's Prototype Carbon Fund
(http://carbonfinance.org.pcf/) is a public private partnership that operates
within the CDM.In July 2005 the U.S., China, India, Australia, as well as Japan
and South Korea, agreed to the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development
and Climate. The pact aims to encourage technological development that may
mitigate global warming, without coordinated emissions targets. The highest
goal of the pact is to find and promote new technology that aid both growth
and a cleaner environment simultaneously. An example is the Methane to
Markets initiative which reduces methane emissions into the atmosphere by
capturing the gas and using it for growth enhancing clean energy generation
(http://www.usaid.gov.our_work/global_partnersheep/gda/methanetomarkets.
html,). Critics have raised concerns that the pact undermines the Kyoto
Protocol (http://www.newscientist.com.art.ns?.id=dn7744,). However, none of
these initiatives suggest a quantitative cap on the emissions from developing
countries. This is considered as a particularly difficult policy proposal as the
economic growth of developing countries are proportionally reflected in the
growth of greenhouse emissions. Critics of mitigation often argue that, the
developing countries' drive to attain a comparable living standard to the
developed countries would doom the attempt at mitigation of global warming.
Critics also argue that holding down emissions would shift the human cost of
global warming from a general one to one that was borne most heavily by the
poorest populations on the planet.

Population Control

The population explosion is a fundamental factor that has led to global

warming. Because of this, various organizations promote population control as
a means for mitigating global warming (http
(www.populationconnection.org/about_Us/polici.html). Proposed measures
include improving access to family planning and reproductive health care and
information, reducing natalistic politics, public education about the
consequences of continued population growth, and improving access of women
to education and economic opportunities.Population control efforts are
impeded by their being somewhat of a taboo in some countries against
considering any such efforts

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(http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/135/7120/1441)
(http://www.Sierraclub.org/population/report/globalwarming). Also, various
religions discourage or prohibit some or all forms of birth control.Population
size has a different per capita effect on global warming in different countries,
since the per capita production of anthropogenic greenhouse gases varies
greatly by country
(http://www.Sierraclub.org/population/factsheet/pop_and_globalwarming.Asp
).

References:

1. Renewable energy investments rises significantly in 2007,

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/ html,: Retrieved on June 14 2008
2. Flex Your Power :http://www.fypower.org/agri/,:Retrieved on Dated JUne
14 2008
3. New Zealand Energy Intensive Business Initiative,
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/policies-initiatives/energy-pilot-
scheme.html: Retrieved on June14 2008
4. New Zealand Energy Intensive Business Initiative,
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/policies-initiatives/energy-pilot-
scheme.html
5. Ancient trees, http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/,:Retrieved on June 14
2008
6. Gross energy consumption by source 1987–2005, Statistics Iceland,
http://www.statics.is/uploads./files/LHO6/LHO60701.xls,:Retrieved on
June15 2008
7. United Nations Millennium Development Goals Indicators, United Nations,
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx.Retrieved on15 june 2008
8. Energy in Iceland Icelandic Ministries of Industry and Commerce,
http://eng.idnadarraduneyti.is/publication/nr/1170 Retrieved on June 15
2008
9. New Bill and strategy lay foundations for tackling climate change.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs .
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070313a.htm (2007-03-13).
Retrieved on 2007-03-13.Retrieved on June 14 2008
10. Britain proposes climate change bill. Baltimore Sun (2007-03-14)
http://wwwbaltimoreSun.com/new/nationworld/balte.britain/4march14.
1o,2049156.story. Retrieved on June14 2008

11. Prototype Carbon Fund from the World Bank Carbon Finance Unit
,http://carbonfinance.org.pcf/ Retrieved on 2008-06-10

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12. Methane to Markets Partnership. USAID.gov.
http://www.usaid.gov.our_work/global_partnersheep/gda/methanetomar
kets.html, Retrieved on 2008-06-10

13. US-led emissions pact seen as Kyoto rival. NewScientist.com.

http://www.newscientist.com.art.ns?.id=dn7744, Retrieved on 2008-06-
10

14. Population and Global Warming Factsheet from Sierra

Club:http://www.Sierraclub.org/population/report/globalwarming
Retrieved on 2008-06-10

15. Population and Global Warming National Wild Life Federation: http
www.www.nwf.org/popandenvironment.html/globalwarming.cfj Retrieved
on 2008-06-10

16. Population and the Environment Fact SHeet Population Connection, http
www.populationconnection.org/about_Us/polici.html Retrieved on 2008-
06-10

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17. Population Connection Statement of Policy:,http
www.populationconnection.org/about_Us/polici.html Retrieved on 2008-
06-10

18. To the point of farce: a martian view of the hardinian taboo—the silence
that surrounds population control Maurice King, Charles Elliott BMJ,
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/135/7120/1441. Retrieved on 2008-06-
10

19. Who is Heating Up the Planet? A Closer Look at Population and Global
Warming from Sierra
Club,http://www.Sierraclub.org/population/factsheet/pop_and_globalwa
rming.Asp Retrieved on 2008-06-10