Download Climate Change Mitigation Policy for Agriculture in Canada

Climate Change Mitigation Policy for
Agriculture in Canada:
Horizontal Policy Integration
June 19, 2004
UNFCCC Workshop, Bonn, Germany
Dr. Robert J. MacGregor
Dr. Marie Boehm
The Role of Agriculture in GHG Mitigation
• Agriculture responsible for about 10% of national anthropogenic
GHG emissions
• Most agricultural emissions are non-point source in nature and
vary by climatic and soil conditions
• Mostly non-energy based, nitrous oxide and methane from
complex biological processes
• Carbon can be sequestered in soils (sinks) by implementing some
types of land management practices
• GHG mitigation strategies lead to other environmental and
economic co-benefits
Sustainable development is a priority for Canada and is reflected
in the federal government’s Agricultural Policy Framework (APF)
Agriculture has many unique opportunities to
manage greenhouse gases ...
Reduce
Greenhouse gas
emissions
Respond
The climate is going
Agricultural
to change requiring
adaptation (ie water
GHG
management)
Management
Remove
Replace
Atmospheric C to store in
soils and perennial crops
Innovate to replace fossil
fuels with bio-based
energy, chemicals and
materials
The challenge is to develop policy integrated with the APF
outcomes related to economic and environmental performance
GHG Mitigation Potential from Agriculture
Change in Soil Carbon (Sinks)
Sink Enhancing
Management Practices
• Increase no-till
( 350% since 1991)
• Decrease summerfallow
( 40% since 1991)
Organic C
• Increase hay in crop rotation
( 27% since 1991)
• Improve grazing management
Old management New management
Time
Soil sinks represent ~90%
of medium-term
mitigation potential
• Increase permanent cover
• Increase shelterbelts
GHG Source-Reducing
Management Practices
• Improve nutrient management
• Improve feeding management
• Improve manure management
Agriculture in National Climate Change Plan,
2002: 10 MT BAU plus maybe 10MT more
75
70
BAU without sinks
Mt CO2e
65
BAU with sinks
60
Gap
(6.5 Mt)
55
50
45
Potential reductions
from Business as Usual
(BAU) [5 to 20 Mt with
incentives]
6% below 1990
40
35
1990
1999
Source: Canadian Economic and Emission Model, Agriculture (CEEMA)
2010
APF Provincial Environmental Targets:
Co-benefits of GHG Mitigation
• Environment is one of the major pillars of the Agriculture Policy
Framework (APF) in addition to food safety & quality, business
risk management, innovation and renewal
• Within Canadian federation, federal, provincial and territorial
governments have jointly committed to set specific environmental
outcome targets in the areas of air, water and soil quality, and
biodiversity
• Targets must be quantitative, measurable and meaningful:
– Scientific link from farm practice to the environment
– Based on adoption of Beneficial Management Practices (BMP’s) for
improving environmental performance
– Identify BMP’s where economic incentives also exist
Integrating Science and Economics for Policy
IPCC
Guidelines
Systems Approach
(assess direct and
indirect emissions of
CO2, CH4 and N2O)
Changes
in GHG
sources and sinks
Agri-Environmental
Indicator Project
Integrated economic/
environmental models
- economic component
- GHG component
- links to other AEIs
Development
of Mitigation
Scenarios
Expert Opinion
- F/P/T government
- Industry
- Academics
Canadian
Scientific
Research
Economic
Impacts
Environmental Co-benefits
of GHG Mitigation
Agricultural Policy Framework - Develop meaningful
and measurable environmental and farm management goals
APF Analysis Builds on Climate Change
Selected Scenarios
(best management practices)
• Soil Management
−
−
−
−
Increased use of conservation tillage
Decreased use of summerfallow
Increased use of forage in rotations
Conversion of marginal land to permanent cover
• Pasture Management
– Increased use of complimentary and rotational
grazing
• Nutrient Management
– Better management of matching N applied to
crop requirements
• Livestock Management
– Improve management of protein in diets
• Agroforestry
– Increased use of forestry on marginal
agricultural land
Suite of Agri-environmental
Indicators (AEI)
• Greenhouse Gases
• Soil Carbon
• Water Erosion
• Wind Erosion
• Wind Erosion (Prairies)
• Residual Soil Nitrogen
• IROWC-N (East)
• Wildlife Habitat
Results of APF Analysis – Combined Scenario
National Summary of the Percentage Change in AEIs
from 2008 BAU for Low, Medium and High Adoption Rates
20%
10%
0%
GHG
-10%
IROWCN
(Que)
Residual N
Water
Erosion
(Alta)
Wind
Erosion
(Sask.)
Biodiversity
-20%
-30%
-40%
-50%
Analysis informs federal-provincial negotiations leading to inclusion
of specific GHG and other outcome targets in bilateral agreements
APF Environmental Outcome Targets
• For Quebec outcome target changes are:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Residual Nitrogen – a reduction of 8% (about 2kg N/ha)
Risk to Water Quality – Nitrogen – a reduction of 7%
Risk to Soil Erosion from Water – a reduction of 1% (50kg/ha/yr)
Soil Carbon – an increase in the annual change from -0.15 to 0.11 Mt
GHG Emissions – a reduction of 5% (0.4 Mt CO2 e/yr)
Wildlife Habitat Availability – an increase of 0.7%
• For Manitoba outcome target changes are:
–
–
–
–
–
Residual Nitrogen – a reduction of 12%
Risk to Soil Erosion from Water – a reduction of 16%
Soil Carbon – an increase in annual change by 373% (from a low base)
GHG Emissions – a reduction of 22% (about 2Mt CO2 e)
Wildlife Habitat Availability – an increase of 5%
APF Environmental Outcome Targets will become basis
for federal/provincial/territorial policies and programs
Policy Tools to Achieve APF Outcome Targets:
Looking for the Win-Win
• Environmental Farm Plans; address high priority environmental
issues
• Cost-shared financial incentives for implementation of BMP’s to
address environmental risks
• Trees and shrubs for shelterbelts; Renewable energy from
biodisgesters demonstrations; Ethanol from grain and cellulose
• Research into next generation BMP’s (Model Farm, and
Environmental Technology Assessment)
• Working with stakeholders to increase awareness and promote
adoption (GHG Mitigation Program)
• Development of an Offset Credit System for GHG to work in
concert with other drivers
Farmers manage complex businesses and their challenge is to
"put it all together” to stay in business and meet society’s goals
APF provides us with a way to manage forward
for sustainable development
• All levels of government and stakeholders are involved (federal,
provincial, producers, processors, consumers, NGO’s)
• Quantified Targets and Accountability are powerful public policy
tools
• Planning tools, such as Environmental Farm Planning to deal with
environmental and structural heterogeneity, are critical
• Developing a bio-product/bio-mass based industry is fully
consistent with a “Replace” strategy
• Deliver large quantity of soil sinks, some reductions and many cobenefits at a low cost to society (10 to 20Mt)
Finding more efficient and effective ways to manage carbon,
nitrogen and energy should contribute to the economic and
environmental elements of sustainable development