Owing to the methane (CH4) produced by rumen fermentation, ruminants are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) and are perceived as a problem. We propose that with appropriate regenerative crop and grazing management, ruminants not only reduce overall GHG emissions, but also facilitate provision of essential ecosystem services, increase soil carbon (C) sequestration, and reduce environmental damage....

Beef cattle feedlots are estimated to contribute 26% of U.S. agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and future climate change policy could target reducing these emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of GHG emissions from U.S. grain-fed beef cattle was conducted based on industry statistics and previous studies to identify the main sources of uncertainty in these estimations. Uncertainty ...

A spring calving herd consisting of about 350 beef cows, 14-16 breeding bulls, 60 replacement heifers and 112 steers were used to compare the whole-farm GHG emissions among calf-fed vs. yearling-fed production systems with and without growth implants. Carbon footprint ranged from 11.63 to 13.22 kg CO₂e per kg live weight (19.87-22.52 kg CO₂e per kg carcass weight). Enteric CH₄ was the largest s...

Considerable research has been carried out on the optimization of water distribution systems (WDSs) over the last three decades. In previous research, attention has mainly focused on the minimization of cost, due to the high expenditure associated with the construction and maintenance of such systems. However, the impacts of WDSs on the environment usually have not been considered adequately. T...

The overuse of Nitrogen (N) fertilizers on smallholder farms in rapidly developing countries has increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accelerated global N consumption over the past 20 years. In this study, a regional N management approach was developed based on the cost of the agricultural response to N application rates from 1,726 on-farm experiments to optimize N management across 12 ...

The high contribution of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the transportation sector calls for the development of emission reduction efforts. In this paper, we examine how efficient bus transit networks can contribute to these reduction measures. Utilizing continuum approximation methods and a case study in Barcelona, we show that efforts to decrease the costs of a transit system can lead to GH...

The Great Plains region of the United States is an agricultural production center for the global market and, as such, an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article uses historical agricultural census data and ecosystem models to estimate the magnitude of annual GHG fluxes from all agricultural sources (e.g., cropping, livestock raising, irrigation, fertilizer production, t...

In this scenario the EU27 undertakes a GHG mitigation policy based on the unilateral EU27 20/20 climate action. In particular, the EU has committed itself to reducing its GHG emissions by 20% (compared to 1990 levels) and to increasing the share of RES in final energy demand to 20% by 2020. The GHG target is split to a 21% reduction in the ETS sectors and a virtual 10% reduction in the non-ETS ...

For greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the Chinese economy in 2007 with the most recent statistics availability, a concrete inventory covering CO2, CH4, and N2O is composed and associated with an input–output analysis to reveal the emission embodiment in final consumption and international trade. The estimated total direct GHG emission amounts to 7456.12 Mt CO2-eq by the commonly referred IPCC g...

The increased release of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions associated with human activities causing climate change is one of the most significant problems faced by human-kind. Water distribution systems (WDS), whilst providing an essential service to society, are responsible for the generation of significant amounts of GHGs. In response, the minimization of GHG emissions associated with WDSs has b...