If we were to make a special food and agriculture category, then agriculture is responsible for about the same amount of emissions as, say, transportation. Now, however, we have to become more holistic about what we mean by emissions. For agriculture we have carbon dioxide emissions, which come mostly from deforestation. Cutting down forests to make new rangeland for cattle makes up about 10% of the total annual carbon dioxide emissions. There is some emission from the use of fossil fuels for tractors and irrigation, and about half of the agricultural carbon dioxide fossil fuel emissions come from the manufacture of fertilizer. There are also other land use and soil management decisions made in agriculture that impact carbon dioxide emissions.
RickyRood, • 3:38 AM GMT on April 30, 2013
In this entry I look beyond efficiency and provide a list to help organize how to think about reduction of greenhouse gas emissions both individually and collectively.1. Efficiency2. Food3. Alternative Energy4. Waste Management5. Behavior, Conservation and Reduced Use 6. Fuel Waste Management7. Forestry Management8. Soil Management
RickyRood, • 6:40 PM GMT on April 21, 2013
Finally, individuals are often not individual in the resources they influence and control. People own businesses and work in management in companies. These are places where there is often strong attention to reducing cost; hence, efforts to reduce cost through efficiency are likely to be well received. Good businesses are often thinking long term – energy costs, appeal to customers who might be environmentally interested, emerging technology, protection of property, buildings and resources; therefore, business might see advantage in taking up initiatives that are beneficial to climate change. Businesses are places where individual influences have impacts that are far greater than that of a single person.
RickyRood, • 2:33 AM GMT on April 10, 2013
This week I have a guest blogger, Doug Glancy, who was one of the student advocates responsible for starting my class on climate change problem solving. Doug’s piece continues the series in response to the question, “What can I do about climate change?” It is a call for social organization.
RickyRood, • 5:03 PM GMT on April 03, 2013