Climate Risks in the Agriculture Sector

Emissions produced from the agriculture sector are driving the global temperature to rise at an alarming rate. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reported that emissions from agriculture and related land use account for 17% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (FAO, 2018). Agricultural activities and food production are associated with carbon dioxide (CO2 ), nitrous oxide (N2 O), and methane (CH4 ) emissions. Direct emissions from the sector are typically N2 O and CH4 (Lynch et al., 2021). Around one third of global methane emissions (32%) come from cows and other livestock due to the fermentation process during digestion. Methane emissions are also released during other agricultural activities, such as manure decomposition and rice cultivation (UN, 2022). Nitrogen fertilizers cause N20 emissions due to the excess amounts of nitrogen that they release in agricultural runoff (UN, 2022). The agriculture sector is also one of the main drivers of CO2 emissions caused by land-use change, such as clearing land for crop production. Land use-related CO2 emissions account for about 14% of annual CO2 emissions. Of this 14%, the majority (71%) are directly linked to agriculture (Lynch et al., 2021). The global food system is also the primary driver of biodiversity loss, with agriculture threatening 24,000 of the 28,000 species at risk of extinction (UNEP, 2021).