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Carbon Footprint Estimation in the Agriculture Sector

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Assessment of Carbon Footprint in Different Industrial Sectors, Volume 1

Part of the book series: EcoProduction ((ECOPROD))

Abstract

The term “carbon footprint” has evolved as an important expression of greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity for diverse activities and products. Widespread public acceptance and the ease of conveying information about GHG intensity with this term has also attracted scientists and policy makers to review and refine its calculations. Standard methods for carbon footprinting have been prepared, and sector-specific standards are under development. These standards direct the procedures to carry out carbon footprinting through life cycle assessment in conjunction with GHG accounting, classifes activities into three tiers based on the order of emissions. Agriculture is the largest contributor to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, so the quantification of different agricultural practices is essential for identification of more sustainable practices. Carbon footprinting has potential as a tool for assessing and comparing GHG performances of different agricultural products along with identification of points to improve environmental efficiencies. Case studies on the application of carbon footprinting to cultivation practices are increasing in the scientific literature, but the majority of studies do not comply with the standard three-tier methodology. This leads to nonuniformity among different studies and their comparisons. Hence, a standard guideline addressing carbon footprinting specifically for agriculture is essential for the effective application of this tool in the quantification of GHG intensity, mitigation of global warming, and adaptation against future climate change scenarios.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi for providing financial help in the form of a research project. Divya Pandey is grateful to Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi for senior research fellowship and UGC for Junior Research Fellowship.

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  1. Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    Divya Pandey & Madhoolika Agrawal

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  1. Divya Pandey
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Correspondence to Madhoolika Agrawal .

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  1. Eco-design Consultant, Global Sustainability Services SGS Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

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Pandey, D., Agrawal, M. (2014). Carbon Footprint Estimation in the Agriculture Sector. In: Muthu, S. (eds) Assessment of Carbon Footprint in Different Industrial Sectors, Volume 1. EcoProduction. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-41-2_2

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