Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems
As the global food system contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, understanding the sources of GHG emissions embodied in different components of food systems is important. The collapse of the Soviet Union triggered a massive restructuring of the domestic food systems, nam...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab1cf1 |
| _version_ | 1797747972019060736 |
|---|---|
| author | Florian Schierhorn Thomas Kastner Tobias Kuemmerle Patrick Meyfroidt Irina Kurganova Alexander V Prishchepov Karl-Heinz Erb Richard A Houghton Daniel Müller |
| author_facet | Florian Schierhorn Thomas Kastner Tobias Kuemmerle Patrick Meyfroidt Irina Kurganova Alexander V Prishchepov Karl-Heinz Erb Richard A Houghton Daniel Müller |
| author_sort | Florian Schierhorn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the global food system contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, understanding the sources of GHG emissions embodied in different components of food systems is important. The collapse of the Soviet Union triggered a massive restructuring of the domestic food systems, namely declining consumption of animal products, cropland abandonment, and a major restructuring of agricultural trade. However, how these complex changes have affected global GHG emissions is uncertain. Here, we quantified the net GHG emissions associated with changes in the former Soviet Union’s food systems. Changes in food production, consumption, and trade together resulted in a net emissions reduction of 7.61 Gt carbon dioxide equivalents from 1992 to 2011. For comparison, this corresponds to one quarter of the CO _2 emissions from deforestation in Latin America from 1991 to 2011. The key drivers of the emissions reductions were the decreasing beef consumption in the 1990s, increasing beef imports after 2000, mainly from South America, and carbon sequestration in soils on abandoned cropland. Ongoing transformations of the food systems in the former Soviet Union, however, suggest emissions will likely rebound. The results highlight the importance of considering agricultural production, land-use change, trade, and consumption when assessing countries emissions portfolios. Moreover, we demonstrated how emissions reductions that originate from a reduction in the extent and intensity of agricultural production can be compromised by increasing emissions embodied in rising imports of agricultural commodities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:58:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-074da0e3f2ec4840b3eb42f5a8c1b8fb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:58:16Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-074da0e3f2ec4840b3eb42f5a8c1b8fb2023-08-09T14:44:35ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262019-01-0114606500910.1088/1748-9326/ab1cf1Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systemsFlorian Schierhorn0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0243-8247Thomas Kastner1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8155-136XTobias Kuemmerle2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9775-142XPatrick Meyfroidt3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1047-9794Irina Kurganova4Alexander V Prishchepov5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2375-1651Karl-Heinz Erb6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8335-4159Richard A Houghton7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3298-7028Daniel Müller8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8988-0718Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle (Saale), GermanySenckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBIK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences , Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, AustriaGeography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, D-10099 Berlin, Germany; Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, D-10099 Berlin, GermanyGeorges Lemaitre Earth and Climate Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain , 1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium; Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique F. R. S.—FNRS, B-1000 Brussels, BelgiumInstitute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, RAS, Institutskaya st., 2, Pushchino, Moscow region 142290, RussiaDepartment of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen , Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 København K, Denmark; Institute of Environmental Sciences, Kazan Federal University , Kazan, Tovarishcheskaya str. 5, Kazan, 420097, RussiaInstitute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences , Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, AustriaWoods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States of AmericaLeibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany; Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, D-10099 Berlin, Germany; Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, D-10099 Berlin, GermanyAs the global food system contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, understanding the sources of GHG emissions embodied in different components of food systems is important. The collapse of the Soviet Union triggered a massive restructuring of the domestic food systems, namely declining consumption of animal products, cropland abandonment, and a major restructuring of agricultural trade. However, how these complex changes have affected global GHG emissions is uncertain. Here, we quantified the net GHG emissions associated with changes in the former Soviet Union’s food systems. Changes in food production, consumption, and trade together resulted in a net emissions reduction of 7.61 Gt carbon dioxide equivalents from 1992 to 2011. For comparison, this corresponds to one quarter of the CO _2 emissions from deforestation in Latin America from 1991 to 2011. The key drivers of the emissions reductions were the decreasing beef consumption in the 1990s, increasing beef imports after 2000, mainly from South America, and carbon sequestration in soils on abandoned cropland. Ongoing transformations of the food systems in the former Soviet Union, however, suggest emissions will likely rebound. The results highlight the importance of considering agricultural production, land-use change, trade, and consumption when assessing countries emissions portfolios. Moreover, we demonstrated how emissions reductions that originate from a reduction in the extent and intensity of agricultural production can be compromised by increasing emissions embodied in rising imports of agricultural commodities.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab1cf1carbon sequestrationtelecouplingtradefood’s carbon footprintformer Soviet Union |
| spellingShingle | Florian Schierhorn Thomas Kastner Tobias Kuemmerle Patrick Meyfroidt Irina Kurganova Alexander V Prishchepov Karl-Heinz Erb Richard A Houghton Daniel Müller Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems Environmental Research Letters carbon sequestration telecoupling trade food’s carbon footprint former Soviet Union |
| title | Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems |
| title_full | Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems |
| title_fullStr | Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems |
| title_short | Large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post-Soviet food systems |
| title_sort | large greenhouse gas savings due to changes in the post soviet food systems |
| topic | carbon sequestration telecoupling trade food’s carbon footprint former Soviet Union |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab1cf1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT florianschierhorn largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT thomaskastner largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT tobiaskuemmerle largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT patrickmeyfroidt largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT irinakurganova largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT alexandervprishchepov largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT karlheinzerb largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT richardahoughton largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems AT danielmuller largegreenhousegassavingsduetochangesinthepostsovietfoodsystems |