Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sara Vicca, Daniel S. Goll, Mathilde Hagens, Jens Hartmann, Ivan A. Janssens, Anna Neubeck, Josep Penuelas, Silvia Poblador, Jet Rijnders, Jordi Sardans, Eric Struyf, Philipp Swoboda, Jan Willem van Groenigen, Arthur Vienne, Erik Verbruggen
Summary: Enhanced silicate weathering (ESW) has been proposed as a negative emission technology with significant climate change mitigation potential. However, differences between lab and real soil conditions, as well as the impact of biological processes on weathering rates, may influence the effectiveness of ESW in sequestering CO2 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is crucial to include biological factors in ESW research to fully understand its climate change mitigation effects.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Huanyu Zhao, Zhihao Dong, Bin Liu, Huaye Xiong, Chaoyi Guo, Prakash Lakshmanan, Xiaozhong Wang, Xinping Chen, Xiaojun Shi, Fusuo Zhang, Yueqiang Zhang
Summary: This study used the NUFER-Citrus-LCA model to analyze the greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration, and ways to achieve carbon neutrality in China's citrus production system. The results showed significant variations in emissions among different provinces, with Guangdong province having the highest emissions. Nitrogen fertilizer accounted for 71.5% of the total emissions. By optimizing nitrogen fertilizer management, replacing 50% of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer, and using cover crops, there is potential to transform China's citrus production system from a carbon source to a carbon sink. Implementation of this crop management model is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality in the Chinese citrus industry.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Amrita Kumari Panda, Rojita Mishra, Joystu Dutta, Zishan Ahmad Wani, Shreekar Pant, Sazada Siddiqui, Saad Abdulrahman Alamri, Sulaiman A. Alrumman, Mohammed Ali Alkahtani, Satpal Singh Bisht
Summary: This paper critically investigates the factors responsible for greenhouse gas emissions during vermicomposting so that possible threats can be managed.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Alison R. Marklein, Deanne Meyer, Marc L. Fischer, Seongeun Jeong, Talha Rafiq, Michelle Carr, Francesca M. Hopkins
Summary: This study developed a spatially explicit database of dairies in California, calculating CH4 emissions based on operating permits and California-specific reports, and estimated the impact of mitigation strategies. The results show that implementing digesters at existing or planned 106 dairies in California will significantly reduce CH4 emissions.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adrian Foong, Prajal Pradhan, Oliver Froer, Juergen P. Kropp
Summary: Understanding emissions flow with trade is crucial for effective climate action. Trade-adjusted emission accounting can target producers, consumers, and traders more effectively. As food consumption moves away from producer regions, accounting for emissions embodied in trade becomes more important. The study finds that emissions are dependent on a country's consumption patterns and agricultural emission intensities relative to trading partners.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Alienor Jue Hammer, Charles Millar, Sebastian John Hennige
Summary: This article highlights the greenhouse gas emissions in the Scottish salmon aquaculture industry and calls for the development of comprehensive emissions reductions measures. Case studies of two aquaculture operators and comparison with data from the Carbon Disclosure Project reveal imbalances in mitigation strategies and identify potential routes for carbon emission reductions.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Guohua Chang, Hao Liu, Zhuoxin Yin, Jinxiang Wang, Kaiming Li, Tianpeng Gao
Summary: In the context of China's commitment to the double carbon goal, promoting agricultural carbon emission reduction is currently an important research topic. Assessing the carbon sequestration level of crops has a positive impact on enhancing agricultural carbon sinks and reducing carbon emissions. The carbon budget analysis in the Jinchang arid oasis of northwest China showed that increasing the proportion of the area planted with corn was beneficial in enhancing regional carbon sequestration, and chemical fertilizer and agricultural film were the main carbon sources.
Article
Agronomy
Johannes Laubach, John E. Hunt, Scott L. Graham, Rowan P. Buxton, Graeme N. D. Rogers, Paul L. Mudge, Jordan P. Goodrich, David Whitehead
Summary: The study investigated whether planting more diverse species in grazed grasslands can reduce N2O emissions and benefit greenhouse gas reduction. The results showed that the annual N2O emissions from the mixed pasture were lower than those from the ryegrass-white clover pasture. Additionally, the ryegrass-white clover pasture had a significant advantage in net greenhouse gas balance compared to the mixed pasture.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Tongkun Zhang, Yuan Tang, Huan Li, Wei Hu, Jianzhong Cheng, Xinqing Lee
Summary: This research explores the development trend of biochar in soil carbon sequestration and mitigation through bibliometric analysis. The results show that China, America, and Germany are the most widely collaborated countries in this field. The research hotspots are mainly focused on pyrolysis, nutrients, microbial communities, heavy metal immobilization, crop yield, soil properties, greenhouse gases, and carbon fraction. In future research, it is important to investigate the interaction mechanisms between biochar, soil, and soil microbial communities, and evaluate the carbon sink effect of biochar on a global scale.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Angel Hsu, Xuewei Wang, Jonas Tan, Wayne Toh, Nihit Goyal
Summary: Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, cities have been actively taking climate actions, but the lack of emissions data has hindered the evaluation of their performance. This study uses machine learning to predict and explore trends in city-level mitigation by utilizing spatial data and self-reported emissions data.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yikai Zhao, Afeng Zhang, Xinyu Zhu, Jiale Han, Pengfei Li, Xiaogang Shen, Shiwei Huang, Xiangle Jin, Shao Chen, Jiayong Chen, Jiaojiao Liu, Helei Liu, Qaiser Hussain, De Chen
Summary: A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of straw and biochar application on greenhouse gas emissions. The results showed that straw application significantly increased CO2 and CH4 emissions, while biochar amendment significantly reduced CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions. The amendments also had different effects on soil properties and microbial communities, and promoted nitrification and denitrification processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hemali Rathnayake, Takeshi Mizunoya
Summary: Agricultural activities contribute 7% to Sri Lanka's economy and account for 20% of the national greenhouse gas emissions. This study assessed the agricultural emissions in the Mahaweli H region in 2018 and identified the need for extensive carbon sequestration strategies and increased nitrogen use efficiency to achieve GHG mitigation targets.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Biology
Jian Bai, Laicong Luo, Aixin Li, Xiaoqin Lai, Xi Zhang, Yadi Yu, Hao Wang, Nansheng Wu, Ling Zhang
Summary: Under the background of global warming, switchgrass as a biofuel crop has the potential to neutralize carbon emissions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Its large aboveground and underground biomass enables significant carbon sequestration and affects the annual CO2 flux of the cultivation environment. However, the use of nitrogen fertilizer increases N2O emissions, and the impact of switchgrass cultivation on CH4 emissions is often overlooked. Future studies should focus on appropriate nitrogen fertilizer application and CH4 emissions.
Article
Agronomy
Ibonne Geaneth Valenzuela-Balcazar, Efrain Francisco Visconti-Moreno, Angel Faz, Jose A. Acosta
Summary: After changes in tillage, it is important to assess the effects on soil organic carbon dynamics. This study found that the changes in irrigation and tillage in rice cultivation did not significantly affect the input and output of organic carbon in the soil. However, compared to agroforestry, the irrigation and tillage management systems in rice cultivation showed a negative difference between carbon inputs and outputs due to increased crop root respiration and microbial activity. Agroforestry was proven to be a carbon sink.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cole D. Gross, Edward W. Bork, Cameron N. Carlyle, Scott X. Chang
Summary: Agroforestry systems contribute to carbon sequestration and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Deadwood in hedgerows plays an important role in carbon cycling and soil carbon content. Our findings emphasize the importance of retaining hedgerows and their associated deadwood in mitigating climate change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Soil Science
Vincent Chaplot, Pete Smith
Summary: Soil organic matter (SOM), storing carbon (C) and essential plant nutrients in the soil for thousands of years, has been recognized by scientists for its positive impact on vital environmental functions like food production and climate regulation. However, when virgin land (forests or grasslands) is converted to agriculture, the soil tends to lose its SOM, and the lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms has led to inappropriate interventions to combat soil, climate, and ecosystem deterioration.
Article
Soil Science
Amaresh Kumar Nayak, Rahul Tripathi, Manish Debnath, Chinmaya Kumar Swain, Biswaranjan Dhal, Shanmugam Vijaykumar, Anshuman Debasis Nayak, Sangita Mohanty, Mohammad Shahid, Anjani Kumar, Manoj Rajak, Khitish Chandra Moharana, Dibyendu Chatterjee, Susmita Munda, Pravat Guru, Rubina Khanam, Banwari Lal, Priyanka Gautam, Suschismita Pattanaik, Arvind Kumar Shukla, Nuala Fitton, Pete Smith, Himanshu Pathak
Summary: Scarcity of water and emission of greenhouse gases are the two key environmental issues affecting crop production in India. Reducing the carbon footprint and water footprint of crop production can help to mitigate the environmental hazards that stem from GHG emissions and water scarcity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mathew Williams, Dave Reay, Pete Smith
Summary: Some large investors mistakenly believe that focusing on sink-related projects can have a greater impact than reducing emissions, which may sideline effective mitigation strategies. In reality, both emissions reduction and removal are necessary and cost-effective.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ellen Piercy, Willy Verstraete, Peter R. Ellis, Mason Banks, Johan Rockstroem, Pete Smith, Oliver C. Witard, Jason Hallett, Christer Hogstrand, Geoffrey Knott, Ai Karwati, Henintso Felamboahangy Rasoarahona, Andrew Leslie, Yiying He, Miao Guo
Summary: A waste-to-protein system can transform waste into food-grade or feed-grade protein through various technologies. It has the potential to maximize resource recovery and promote a sustainable protein future by extracting nutrients and converting waste-carbon into fermentable sugars or other chemicals. However, regulatory processes and market barriers need to be addressed for the system's expansion.
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Filippo Milazzo, Richard M. Francksen, Laura Zavattaro, Mohamed Abdalla, Stanislav Hejduk, Simone Ravetto Enri, Marco Pittarello, Paul Newell Price, Rene L. M. Schils, Pete Smith, Tom Vanwalleghem
Summary: Permanent grasslands play a crucial role in protecting the landscape from soil erosion and flooding, but this role has not been fully quantified. The degradation of grasslands is quickly increasing, leading to erosion and runoff. This study aims to quantify the erosion and flooding mitigation effect of permanent grasslands compared to other land uses, as well as review the soil erosion processes affecting grasslands in the EU.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Juan Pablo Inamagua-Uyaguari, Nuala Fitton, Pete Smith
Summary: Ecuador aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing tree coverage in livestock landscapes. The study utilizes land cover datasets to identify suitable areas for tree cover expansion, with the conversion of steepland pastures into forests potentially offsetting 1.8-10% of Ecuador's annual agricultural sector emissions. However, this conversion may result in a significant decrease in pasture biomass production. The transformation of riparian and steepland pastures into silvopastoral systems offers carbon sequestration opportunities with less impact on pasture biomass production.
AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jiao Feng, Dailin Yu, Robert L. L. Sinsabaugh, Daryl L. L. Moorhead, Mathias Neumann Andersen, Pete Smith, Yanting Song, Xinqi Li, Qiaoyun Huang, Yu-Rong Liu, Ji Chen
Summary: Biochar amendment is a promising agricultural approach to combat climate change by enhancing soil carbon sequestration. It was found that biochar addition increased soil ligninase activity targeting complex phenolic macromolecules, but suppressed cellulase activity degrading simpler polysaccharides. These shifts in enzyme activities explained variations in soil carbon sequestration in different conditions, and the ligninase:cellulase ratio correlated negatively with soil C sequestration. Short-term biochar addition reduced cellulase activity and increased soil organic C sequestration, while long-term addition enhanced ligninase activity and ligninase:cellulase ratio, resulting in a smaller increase in soil organic C sequestration. This research provides evidence for the diminished long-term soil C sequestration with biochar addition.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Renata Sandor, Fiona Ehrhardt, Peter Grace, Sylvie Recous, Pete Smith, Val Snow, Jean-Francois Soussana, Bruno Basso, Arti Bhatia, Lorenzo Brilli, Jordi Doltra, Christopher D. Dorich, Luca Doro, Nuala Fitton, Brian Grant, Matthew Tom Harrison, Ute Skiba, Miko U. F. Kirschbaum, Katja Klumpp, Patricia Laville, Joel Leonard, Raphael Martin, Raia Silvia Massad, Andrew D. Moore, Vasileios Myrgiotis, Elizabeth Pattey, Susanne Rolinski, Joanna Sharp, Ward Smith, Lianhai Wu, Qing Zhang, Gianni Bellocchi
Summary: Multi-model ensembles are increasingly used for estimating carbon-nitrogen fluxes, productivity, and sustainability in agriculture. Assimilated outputs from biogeochemical models, obtained by calibrating with site-specific observations, provide more accurate simulations than individual models. This study investigates the representation of climatic factors in model ensembles for complex agricultural systems and discusses the trade-off between practicality and best modeling practice.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rachel Bezner Kerr, Julio C. Postigo, Pete Smith, Annette Cowie, Pramod K. Singh, Marta Rivera-Ferre, Maria Cristina Tirado-von der Pahlen, Donovan Campbell, Henry Neufeldt
Summary: Agroecology is proposed as a transformative approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation by applying ecological and humanistic principles. It is a holistic systems approach to producing food that incorporates social, economic, and political dimensions. This review paper examines the recent evidence and potential for agroecology as a transformative approach to meet key societal goals such as healthy ecosystems, food security, and nutrition.
CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zewei Jiang, Shihong Yang, Shide Dong, Qingqing Pang, Pete Smith, Mohamed Abdalla, Jie Zhang, Guangmei Wang, Yi Xu
Summary: Cotton is widely used in various industries but faces threats from soil salinization. Drip irrigation plays a crucial role in improving water and fertilization efficiency. Accurate prediction of soil salinity and crop evapotranspiration is important for water management in arid and saline regions. We proposed a method based on machine learning to simulate soil salinity, evapotranspiration, and cotton yield using a global dataset.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Longlong Xia, Liang Cao, Yi Yang, Chaopu Ti, Yize Liu, Pete Smith, Kees Jan van Groenigen, Johannes Lehmann, Rattan Lal, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Ralf Kiese, Minghao Zhuang, Xi Lu, Xiaoyuan Yan
Summary: This study, using data from China, shows that an integrated biomass pyrolysis and electricity generation system combined with methane and nitrogen mitigation measures can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from staple crops. The reductions are mainly achieved through carbon sequestration from biochar application and displacement of fossil fuels by bio-energy. The integrated system also has various environmental and economic benefits, such as increased crop yield and decreased air pollutant emissions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Vincent Chaplot, Pete Smith
Summary: Compared to virgin land, croplands have lower organic carbon storage due to soil tillage and decreased plant inputs. Cover crops grown in-between crops appear to be the most effective method for increasing cropland organic carbon stocks. However, existing studies have limitations and more research is needed for better design and understanding.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weilu Wang, Dongling Ji, Shaobing Peng, Irakli Loladze, Matthew Tom Harrison, William J. Davies, Pete Smith, Longlong Xia, Bin Wang, Ke Liu, Kuanyu Zhu, Wen Zhang, Linhan Ouyang, Lijun Liu, Junfei Gu, Hao Zhang, Jianchang Yang, Fei Wang
Summary: Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of different rice genotypes. Among the studied genotypes, 47 were classified as high yield with high NUE. These genotypes showed better performance in yield and NUE under high temperature, but had higher methane emissions and lower nitrous oxide emissions, resulting in a reduced yield-scaled greenhouse gas balance.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ulysse Gaudare, Matthias Kuhnert, Pete Smith, Manuel Martin, Pietro Barbieri, Sylvain Pellerin, Thomas Nesme
Summary: The authors simulated the impact of organic farming expansion on soil organic carbon and found that without additional practices such as cover cropping and residue recycling, there may be a decline in soil organic carbon stock. Expanding organic farming without these practices could result in a 40% reduction in global soil carbon input and 9% decline in SOC stock. However, implementing widespread cover cropping and residue recycling can preserve SOC after conversion to organic farming.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Aled Jones, Sarah Bridle, Katherine Denby, Riaz Bhunnoo, Daniel Morton, Lucy Stanbrough, Barnaby Coupe, Vanessa Pilley, Tim Benton, Pete Falloon, Tom K. Matthews, Saher Hasnain, John S. Heslop-Harrison, Simon Beard, Julie Pierce, Jules Pretty, Monika Zurek, Alexandra Johnstone, Pete Smith, Neil Gunn, Molly Watson, Edward Pope, Asaf Tzachor, Caitlin Douglas, Christian Reynolds, Neil Ward, Jez Fredenburgh, Clare Pettinger, Tom Quested, Juan Pablo Cordero, Clive Mitchell, Carrie Bewick, Cameron Brown, Christopher Brown, Paul J. Burgess, Andy Challinor, Andrew Cottrell, Thomas Crocker, Thomas George, Charles J. Godfray, Rosie S. Hails, John Ingram, Tim Lang, Fergus Lyon, Simon Lusher, Tom Macmillan, Sue Newton, Simon Pearson, Sue Pritchard, Dale Sanders, Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, Megan Steven, Alastair Trickett, Andrew Voysey, Christine Watson, Darren Whitby, Kerry Whiteside, Michael S. Carolan
Summary: This study reports the most likely routes to civil unrest in the UK through a structured expert elicitation. Experts identified food distribution problems as the most likely scenario for unrest within the next 10 years, while a lack of total food in the UK was considered the most probable scenario over a 50-year timeframe.
