Paris Agreement Doomed to Fail Due to Agricultural Emissions Alone [Study]

The Paris Agreement is doomed to fail due to the production of methane from agricultural emissions alone.

This according to a new study by researchers from the United States, asserting that methane emissions will continue to increase as long as the demand for food consumption continue.

While the scientists are not against the agricultural industry, they suggest moderation is the viable solution.

Agricultural Emissions

(Photo : Photo by PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - This general view shows a haze of pollution over Lyon, south-eastern France on October 15, 2021. - A crunch UN climate meeting (COP26) which is scheduled to be held in Glasgow next month will look to accelerate global action to meet the Paris Agreement goals of capping global warming at "well below" two degrees Celsius from preindustrial levels, preferably under 1.5C.

The new study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change on March 6, which emphasized that food consumption is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The paper also mentioned the overlooked aspect of the "lack of granularity" pertaining to reporting food item emissions and the widespread use of simple metrics like carbon dioxide equivalents that complicated interpretations.

In this context, the study predicts that if the world's food systems continue methane emissions at current levels, they will lead to an additional warming of at least 0.7 degree Celsius by the year 2100, as cited by Inside Climate News.

This will push Earth's atmospheric temperature past the 1.5 degree Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement.

Also Read: Paris Agreement: Brazil May Fail to Achieve Climate Change Mitigation Targets due to Deforestation

What is the Paris Agreement?

The Paris Agreement, also called as the Paris Climate Accords or Paris Treaty, is an international initiative to fight climate change with the aim of decreasing global average temperatures by up to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Led by the United Nations (UN), the Paris Climate Agreement requires member countries to cooperate in achieving the said goal.

The Paris Climate Agreement is a "legally binding international treaty" against climate change, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

It was first adopted by 196 Parties or 196 member countries at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris back in December 2015.

The treaty came into effect in November 2016.

In recent years, world leaders have urged the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century.

The claim is due to the UNFCCC's statement that going beyond the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold could unleash more severe impacts brought by climate change, including more frequent and intensified droughts, heatwaves, and rainfall events.

Methane Emissions

To reiterate the findings by new Nature Climate Change study, methane emissions from the agricultural industry alone can spike the global average temperature, even if we cut other greenhouse gases from other sources like from burning fossil fuels.

Furthermore, curbing methane emissions is the fastest way to keep on track with the Paris Agreement and ensure conducive temperature in the future.

According to the US' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane is released during the production and transport of various natural resources like coal, natural gas, and oil.

In addition, methane emissions also come from livestock and other agricultural practices, as well as from land use and decay of organic waste in solid waste landfills.

In 2020, methane was responsible for approximately 11% of all US greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities, including from natural gas systems and raising of livestock.

While the lifespan of the odorless gas in the atmosphere is shorter than carbon dioxide, but it is more efficient when it comes to trapping radiation from space, the EPA explained.

Related Article: Paris Agreement: New Study Reveals Policymakers Underestimate Methane Impact on Air Quality and Climate