Agriculture, land use and the path to net zero

by Bob Rees (Editor), Jørgen Olesen (Editor), Jørgen Olesen (Contribution by), David Reay (Contribution by), Don Wuebbles (Contribution by)

Overview

It’s been suggested that farming contributes to around 12% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with land use associated with agriculture (such as deforestation to clear land for crop production) increasing this overall share to 25% of global GHG emissions. As the climate change emergency continues to threaten global food production and security, there is a growing need to modify or relocate existing farming systems to reduce their environmental impact and ensure a safe, sustainable and sufficient supply of food.

Agriculture, land use and the path to net zero provides a comprehensive overview of the role of agriculture in contributing to GHG emissions, including the role of farming in generating different GHGs and how these can be reduced. It also assesses ways agricultural land use can be used to offset emissions through different carbon sequestration strategies (whether through changing farming practices or restoring landscapes to optimise carbon storage). The book then reviews the challenges and opportunities faced by different regions in developing appropriate land use strategies for agriculture to achieve the goal of net zero.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781835452158
Publisher:	Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Publication date:	03/31/2026
Series:	Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science , #183
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	450

About the Author

Dr Bob Rees is Professor in Agriculture and Climate Change and Head of the Carbon Management Centre at SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College), UK. With over 150 published papers, Professor Rees is internationally renowned for his research on soil carbon sequestration, agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, nutrient cycling and ways agriculture can adapt to climate change.

Dr Jørgen E. Olesen is Professor in Climate Change and Agriculture and Head of the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark. He is also an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Ganzu Agricultural University, China. He has an international reputation for his research on the effect of agriculture on the environment and how environmental change affects agroecosystems.

Dr Bob Rees is Professor in Agriculture and Climate Change and Head of the Carbon Management Centre at SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College), UK. With over 150 published papers, Professor Rees is internationally renowned for his research on soil carbon sequestration, agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation, nutrient cycling and ways agriculture can adapt to climate change.

Dr Jørgen E. Olesen is Professor in Climate Change and Agriculture and Head of the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark. He is also an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Ganzu Agricultural University, China. He has an international reputation for his research on the effect of agriculture on the environment and how environmental change affects agroecosystems.

Donald J. Wuebbles is the Harry E. Preble Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Illinois. He is also a special advisor to the President of the University of Illinois, a Distinguished Scientist with the University’s Discovery Partners Institute, as well as the Director of Climate Science for Earth Knowledge. Dr Wuebbles is an expert in atmospheric physics and chemistry, with over 600 scientific publications related to the Earth’s climate, air quality and stratospheric ozone.
Professor Klaus Butterbach-Bahl is a biogeochemist who has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of global changes in terrestrial ecosystems, as well as the exchange of trace gases between the biosphere and the atmosphere. He is known for his research on nitrogen cycles and greenhouse gas emissions (specifically methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen compounds (NO and N₂O) in relation to their agricultural and ecological impact as well as his exploration of practical mitigation options under climate change constraints at regional and global levels.

Table of Contents

Part 1 The problem
1.The climate problem and the role of agriculture: David Reay, University of Edinburgh, UK;
2.Key issues and challenges in accounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: Don Wuebbles, University of Illinois, USA;
3.Sources of on-farm carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and sequestration: Apisit Boupai, James Hutton Institute/University of Edinburgh, UK;
4.Sources of on-farm nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions: Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Aarhus University, Denmark;
5.Sources of methane (CH4) from livestock and land use: Frank Mitloehner, University of California-Davis, USA;
6.Land use and the global carbon cycle: Syvlia Vetter, University of Aberdeen, UK;

Part 2 Solutions
7.Mitigating nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agriculture: Cecile de Kein, AgResearch, New Zealand;
8.Mitigating methane (CH4) emissions from agriculture: Carol-Anne Duthie, SRUC, UK;
9.Increasing carbon sinks: options for soil carbon sequestration: Bas van Wesemael, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium;
10.Farmer decision making and climate change: Andrew Barnes, SRUC, UK;

Part 3 National and regional profiles
11.Africa: climate change, agriculture and land use: Ngoni Chirinda, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco;
12.Australia and New Zealand: climate change, agriculture and land use: Harry Clark, New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, New Zealand;
13.Europe: climate change, agriculture and land use: Jørgen E. Olesen, Aarhus University, Denmark;
14.North America: climate change, agriculture and land use: Erin Daly, University of Guelph, Canada;
15.South America: climate change, agriculture and land use: Patricia Rici, INTA, Argentina;
16.East Asia: climate change, agriculture and land use: Xiaotang Ju, Hainan University, China;
17.South Asia: climate change, agriculture and land use: Abdul Wakeel, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan;
18.Global implications for agriculture and land use change to achieve net zero: Gerard Ros, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands;