It’s been suggested that farming contributes to around 12% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with land use associated with agriculture (such as deforestation to clear land for crop production) increasing this overall share to 25% of global GHG emissions. As the climate change emergency continues to threaten global food production and security, there is a growing need to modify or relocate existing farming systems to reduce their environmental impact and ensure a safe, sustainable a...

Assesses current best practice and methodological issues in life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology for agricultureLooks in detail at particular types of environmental impact such as nutrientReviews the environmental assessment and optimization of sectors such as crops, ruminant and other livestock production as well as by-products.

Climate change is no longer merely projected to occur in the indeterminate future. It has already begun to be manifested in the weather regimes affecting agroecosystems, food production, and rural livelihoods in many regions around the world. It is a real and growing challenge to the world at large and in particular to the scientific community, which is called upon with increasing urgency to respond effectively.The second volume in the ICP Series on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and ...

This edited open access volume explores the role of forest bioeconomy in addressing climate change. The authors put a particular focus on planetary boundaries and how the linear, growth-oriented economy, is coupled with climate change and environmental degradation. Biobased products and sustainable production paths have been developed, but how can they be scaled in order to lead to an economic paradigm shift? This and other questions are discussed throughout the volume.Since scienc...

The impending threats of catastrophic climate change and peak oil are driving our society towards increased use of biomass for energy, chemical compounds and other materials - the beginnings of a biobased economy. As alternative development models for the biobased economy emerge, we need to determine potential applications, their perspectives and possible impacts as well as policies that can steer technological and market development in such a way that our objectives are met. Currently, it...

A whole host of motivations are driving the development of the “renewables” industry— ranging from the desire to develop sustainable energy resources to the reduction of dangerous greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. All energy utilized on the earth is ultimately derived from the sun through photosynthesis—the only truly renewable commodity.As concerns regarding increasing energy prices, global warming and renewable resources continue to grow, so has scientific disco...

Biofuel Crop Sustainability brings together the basic principles of agricultural sustainability and special stipulations for biofuels, from the economic and ecological opportunities and challenges of sustainable biofuel crop production to the unique characteristics of particular crops which make them ideal for biofuel applications. This book will be a valuable resource for researchers and professionals involved in biofuels development and production as well as agriculture industry...

The books deals with the critical issues of climate change and its impact on agriculture and proposes climate smart agriculture as the probable solution to this issue. It discusses the impact of climate change and greenhouse gases emission on agriculture. It covers the strategies and management options of climate smart agriculture by including crop, water, soil, and energy management with examples and case studies. The subject matter has been presented in a very lucid language, containing ...

This book contains detailed and structured approaches to tackling practical decision-making troubles using economic consideration and analytical methods in Municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Among all other types of environmental burdens, MSW management is still a mammoth task, and the worst part is that a suitable technique to curb the situation in developing countries has still not emerged.Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries will help fill this informati...

Environmental Impact of Agro-Food Industry and Food Consumption covers trends associated with the impact of food production on the environment using lifecycle analysis and the standard methods used to estimate the food industry's environmental impact. The book discusses city-scale actions to estimate the environmental impact of food systems, including the meat chain, feeding crops to farmed fish, the confectionary industry, agriculture, tea processing, cheese production, the dairy industry...

Although bioenergy is a renewable energy source, it is not without impact on the environment. Both the cultivation of crops specifically for use as biofuels and the use of agricultural byproducts to generate energy changes the landscape, affects ecosystems, and impacts the climate. Bioenergy and Land Use Change focuses on regional and global assessments of land use change related to bioenergy and the environmental impacts. This interdisciplinary volume provides both high level rev...

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on the environmental impact of livestock production.The first chapter discusses life cycle assessment (LCA) and its role in evaluating the environmental footprint of farming systems. The chapter also explores how the practical trade-off between feasibility and scientific rigour should be addressed in the field of ruminant production systems.The second chapter explores some of the many facets of ...