Tag: climate research

Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change
In May 2016 I founded an abnormal think tank, which in fact is a think and act tank bearing the name Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™.
 
The purpose of Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™ is to conduct research on climate change and its various aspects, to inform the public about climate change and climate change consultations both to businesses and organizations including public and intergovernmental organizations.
 
Our activities are today followed by tens of thousands of professionals and private persons around the world. Our followers on social media include many influential people from a number of sectors, including NGO´s and intergovernmental organizations such as Greenpeace and the UN.
 
You are most welcome to join Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™ and our groups and pages on Facebook and LinkedIn. You can also follow us on Instagram and on Twitter @GCCThinkActTank
 
We are looking for more active people to join us. Moreover, you can contact me personally if you are interested in funding our activities or buying for instance articles or specific research in terms of climate change.
 
Anne-Maria Yritys 10.10.2018
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Perustin toukokuussa 2016 normaalista poikkeavan ajatushautomon, joka on oikeastaan ajatuksista tekoihin-ilmastonmuutoshautomo nimeltä Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™.
 
Toimintaamme kuuluu ilmastonmuutoksen ja sen eri osa-alueiden tutkiminen, ilmanmuutoksesta tiedottaminen ja ilmastonmuutoksesta konsultointi niin yrityksille ja organisaatioille ml. julkishallinto.
 
Toimintaamme seuraa tänä päivänä jo kymmeniä tuhansia ammattilaisia ja yksityishenkilöitä ympäri maailman. Seuraajiimme sosiaalisessa mediassa ja kannattajiimme kuuluu mm. paljon vaikuttavissa asemissa olevia päättäjiä eri sektoreilta, ml. useista kansalaisjärjestöistä kuten Greenpeace ja YK:sta.
 
Olet tervetullut mukaan toimintaan liittymällä Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™:in samannimisiin ryhmiin Facebookissa ja LinkedIn:ssä. Voit myös seurata meitä Instagramissa ja Twitterissä @GCCThinkActTank
 
Kaipaamme toimintaamme lisää aktiivisia. Lisäksi voit olla yhteydessä minuun henkilökohtaisesti, mikäli olet kiinnostunut rahoittamaan toimintaamme tai tilaamaan esim. artikkeleita tai tutkimuksia liittyen ilmastonmuutokseen.
 
Anne-Maria Yritys 10.10.2018
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Join Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

If you/r business/organization is interested in sustainable development consulting, climate/environment-related projects and/or climate/environment/sustainability research by a specific topic, please get in touch via https://www.annemariayritys.com

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Welcome to all new members of Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank.

Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank was born in May 2016 and has grown to become a global movement.

You can share articles/posts related to anything that has to do with climate change or is interlinked with climate change, such as AGRICULTURE/FOOD PRODUCTION, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, ENERGY PRODUCTION, CLIMATE, SUSTAINABILITY etc. here, in any language, either produced by yourself or by sharing from other media sources.

All posts will be reviewed before approval.

NO PROMOTIONAL CONTENT PLEASE.

Please help us grow the movement by sharing Global Climate Change Think & Act Tank™ to your networks on digital and social media.

All new member requests will be pending until approval. You can follow us on Twitter @GCCThinkActTank for free.

You are also welcome to join our LinkedIn group with the same name and connect with us on Twitter @GCCThinkActTank. We have currently 66.000 followers worldwide on Twitter and our LinkedIn group consists of industry experts, consultants etc. Find us on Instagram at gccthinkacttank.

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Welcome to join the movement by liking our FB page, joining our FB group + our other groups and pages on social media.

We take climate change and sustainable development worldwide very seriously.

The time to act is NOW. Help us improve the world by sharing our message and by joining our worldwide movement.

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If you/r business/organization is interested in sustainable development consulting, climate/environment-related projects and/or climate/environment/sustainability research by a specific topic, please get in touch via https://www.annemariayritys.com

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Falk Lademann on Flickr

How Can Artificial Intelligence Improve The World Energy Market?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

With a rapidly increasing number of companies using some form of artificial intelligence (AI), such as big data automation, predictive/prescriptive analytics, machine learning, expert systems, neural networks, interactive voice response technologies, and avatar technologies, in their business models, artificial intelligence is forecast to disrupt all industries. With only a small percentage of businesses not yet using or not even planning to utilize artificial intelligence in any way, according to Infosys and Harvard Business Review, some opinions state that within a decade from now, managers not using AI will be replaced by those who do. 

As stated by Infosys, the main reasons for applying various forms of AI, as the findings of the study “Amplifying Human Potential: Towards Purposeful Artificial Intelligence” reveal, were:

  1. Automation of IT processes
  2. Automation of business processes
  3. Increase innovation
  4. Improve employee knowledge and skills
  5. Increase employee productivity
  6. Improve decision-making
  7. Increase revenues
  8. Save costs
  9. Improve go-to-market time
  10. Improve customer experience

Franklin Wolfe writes in How Artificial Intelligence Will Revolutionize the Energy Industry, a special edition on Harvard University ́s blog on August 28, 2017, artificial intelligence and the energy sector are becoming more and more interconnected, whereby choosing a career path in either of these sectors does not necessarily signify excluding the other. Phil Goldstein, on the other hand, writes in his article in BizTech on October 25, 2017 that AI can support the energy industry in many ways: in improving energy efficiency, predicting possible blackouts and failures, and even support human beings in detecting completely new sources of energy. 

According to technology research and advisory firm Gartner, 85% of all customer interactions will be managed without a human by 2020. Global Energy Business BP already explores how performance in the oil and gas industries can be improved with the help of artificial intelligence. According to technology expert Walker at BP, AI algorithms i.e. processes are about to transform how BP optimizes its operations. 

Learn more by watching Stanford Graduate School of Business ́s video “Andrew Ng: Artificial Intelligence is the New Electricity”:

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Yritys Executive Services to receive my latest posts.

 

 

 

How Can Circular Economies Protect The Earth From Destruction?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

Our world is literally drowning in GARBAGE. Or, to express it with more elegance: our planet is overburdened with the consumption of human beings: Garbage, litter, waste, pollution, toxins, and chemicals. Although the annual growth rate of world population is slightly decreasing, it is expected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100, from the roughly 7.6 billion in 2017, 4.4 billion in 1980, three (3) billion in 1960, and 1.65 billion in the early 20th century. 

Our consumption habits are overloading Earth. According to calculations, citizens in many countries consume at a rate that is unbearable for our planet and its ecosystem. The WWF states that the average ecological footprint for instance in Sweden suggests that we would need 3.8 Earths to accommodate the current level of consumption. The countries with the largest ecological footprint per person are Kuwait, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, United States of America, Canada, Sweden, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, and Singapore. However, it is not as simple as that – some countries “export” their ecological footprints to others, but ultimately it all comes back to us. We cannot afford to continue exporting our national environmental problems to other countries. 

How can circular economies help us protect our planet from further damage and perhaps even complete destruction? We have already managed to cause perhaps irreversible damage to our Earth within the past century alone, through improper management of natural resources, insufficient waste management and recycling practices, air, soil and water pollution through industrial activities, causing anthropogenic climate change through excess greenhouse gas emissions into Earth’s atmosphere, which end up polluting our environment, animals and ourselves as a species. Majority of wastewater worldwide ends up back in our environment without any treatment or purification, leading to extreme pollution and toxins both in our air, land, and water sources.

It is uncertain whether we can save ourselves and our planet from more environmental damage. However, creating and maintaining circular economies where damage to the environment and all that lives on this planet can be minimized with an increasingly much efficient usage of natural resources, including the improvement of energy efficiency, better wastewater management, increased recycling, and the reduction of harmful and toxic (greenhouse gas) emissions is already known to be beneficial and reduces costs in all areas of life. As with any other activity, legislation and policies play a significant role in how we shape our economies and create our future on this planet.

For instance the European Union has its own Circular Economy Strategy, a virtual open space platform which facilitates policy dialogue and offers both information and good practices for economies (within the EU) to take action in terms of the creation and improvement of a circular economy. According to SITRA, the Finnish innovation fund, we have a better way of capitalism, a new increasingly much sustainable era where our economies have to be rethought and reshaped. The Finnish innovation fund SITRA has been nominated for the world ́s premier circular economy award, and leading for instance a project upon circular economies. Access the full report, SITRA – Leading the cycle – Finnish road map to a circular economy 2016-2025, HERE.

A circular economy is one that not only creates and designs improved and (more) sustainable brands, consumer goods, and services, but takes into consideration the ecological footprint of the complete product life-cycle from design/ manufacture, throughout the supply chain from retailer to consumer, and back to the recycling and/or re-use of materials. It also includes innovating completely new methods and materials for improved manufacturing and production.

How this can and will be done has to be considered not only by support from both legislation and policies, but also through innovation and management practices in companies. Innovation and improvement can be supported for instance by using common sense, questioning current ways of doing things, evaluating business processes, and minimizing/ eliminating useless waste through the implementation of best practices, and utilizing methodologies such as kaizen, lean (manufacturing) and/or six sigma, or a combination of these.

Learn more about circular economies by watching European Environment Agency ́s video “Circular Economy”:

What are you doing in your everyday life as a consumer to help protect the environment? 

What measures have you taken in your business activities to reduce your greenhouse gas (carbon) footprint? 

Feel free to comment on this article. 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Yritys Executive Services to receive my latest posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Gas as a Source of Methane Emissions Worldwide

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

chart (1)

With the United States of America currently leading the production of natural gas hydrocarbons, followed by Russia, Iran, Qatar, Canada, China, The European Union, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan, natural gas along with the oil/petroleum industry account for 20% of total methane emissions worldwide. In its World Oil Outlook 2040, OPEC estimates that the largest upcoming energy demand will come from natural gas, with an average annual growth of 0.4 % from 2015 to 2040. (Global Methane Initiative 2010; Central Intelligence Agency 2017; U.S. Energy Information Administration 2017; OPEC 2017).

Following table chart illustrates OPEC´s forecast for the world primary energy demand by fuel type from 2015 to 2040. According to OPEC´s estimations, the demand for gas will increase by a rate of 1.8% p.a. during this time period, with the majority of demand coming from non-OECD countries and the most rapid economic growth in the developing world. OPEC projects the global economy in 2040 being 226% in comparison to 2016, with 3/4 of growth coming from developing countries. China and India are forecast to account for almost 40% of the global GDP in 2040. (OPEC 2017. World Oil Outlook 2040).

 

Untitled presentation

The OPEC acknowledges the relation between population growth and energy demand, however, considering a number of variables for instance in consumer trends. It also states how energy markets are affected by government policies and recognizes the need to monitor these on a regular basis, taking into consideration for instance the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, with energy efficiency and clean energy now trending development. The OPEC is closely monitoring worldwide energy market and policy developments, mentioning the USA, the European Union, China, and India at the forefront.

OPEC estimates that total world primary energy demand by fuel type from 2015 to 2040 will see an increase of 3.6% for gas, 1,5% for nuclear energy, 0.3% for hydro energy, and 4% for other renewables, while the demand for oil would decrease by 4.2%, coal demand decreasing by 5.1%, and biomass demand decreasing by 0.1% during the time frame. The OPEC identifies energy efficiency as a critical uncertainty for the energy market with policies concentrating on reducing emissions through a number of measures related to financial and fiscal instruments. (OPEC 2017. World Oil Outlook 2040).

The U.S. Energy Information Administration presents natural gas as a proportionately clean burning fossil fuel, although exploration, drilling and production have direct impacts on the environment, in addition to the fact that natural gas consists mainly of methane which is a powerful greenhouse gas. Leaks from natural gas-related activities such as pipelines are causing toxic anthropogenic methane emissions. (eia 2017). Despite of the many environmental and health risks related to fossil fuels such as natural gas, the global energy market will continue to depend on these. The OPEC projects that oil and gas combined will supply for more than 50% of global energy needs between 2015-2040. Gas alone is estimated to have a share of 29% in OECD, 20.8% in developing countries, and 45.4% in Eurasia in 2040. In China, gas is forecast to account for 10.6% of energy demand in 2040, while coal is expected to drop down to 48.6% from 64.3% in 2015. (OPEC 2017).

The OPEC estimates that the highest growth in gas demand in the OECD region will be in OECD America, recognizing key influences related to the overall demand of natural gas and its dependency on multiple critical factors including gas supplies, competition,  regulations, and pricing.

For instance in Finland, the national Energy Authority reports that “The Finnish natural gas market has been under sector-specific regulatory supervision since the assertion of the Natural Gas Market Act in August 2000”. The natural gas market in Finland has currently no competition, with 100% of the natural gas is being imported through one pipeline from Russia and traded on the Finnish market by one single company. In Finland, the demand for natural gas has been in decline for several reasons, with natural gas accounting for some eight (8%) of total generation fuel mix in 2014, with the baseline for energy demand being market-based. (energy authority Ref: 1842/601/2015/; Finnish Energy 2017).

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

 

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Agricultural Manure and Global Methane Emissions

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

chart (1)

While enteric fermentation alone accounts for around a third of all anthropogenic methane emissions worldwide, agricultural manure accounts for another four per cent (4%), according to statistics published by GMI, the Global Methane Initiative, in 2010. In one of my previous posts, Enteric Fermentation Largest Single Source of Global Methane Emissions, I have discussed enteric fermentation and its role in global methane emissions. Unless familiar with greenhouse gas emissions and anthropogenic climate change, one may be surprised at the fact that animal farming is the major cause for human-caused methane emissions worldwide.

Will this be the beginning of the end of animal farming? In order to gain a broader view upon agriculture and animal farming, it may be beneficial to learn about and to understand the beginning and the history of both agriculture and animal farming, along with how these have developed in the past thousands and hundreds of years, up to the past century, the past decades, current developments and future trends. Although animal farming, the domestication and breeding of animals, and agriculture have been present for centuries already, there are differences between cultures, geographies and techniques. Agricultural science, according to for instance National Geography Society, has taken rapid leaps in productivity in the past decades because new sources of energy and power.

Today, in a world where much of animal farming has been industrialized, the ethics of animal farming is being questioned by a growing amount of people. While many animal farmers are struggling in order to make their business lucrative, or even to make ends meet, millions of people worldwide are against animal farming, finding animal farming the worst crime in history as stated in The Guardian´s article from September 25th, 2015: Industrial farming is one of the worst crimes in history.

While having no trouble buying meat products in supermarkets, many people today are in fact completely completely estranged with the reality of animal farming. If people were to see what actually takes place on many animal farms, their perceptions would perhaps change, or at least be impacted. For instance in Finland, currently almost half of human excrement today ends up as fertilizers in the agricultural sector, something that is strongly opposed by the food industry. There are of course restrictions both in Finland and in the European Union for the amounts of organic matters that may be legally used as fertilizers for growing crops. Nevertheless, the food industry is worried that traces of drugs, medicines, and even plastics may end up as fertilizers. Now imagine that animals are being fed with crops grown on lands where human excrement is being used as a fertilizer. Ultimately, this is a cycle where we end up consuming and eating everything that we so to say put out there. The more toxins at hand in our atmosphere, the more toxins in our soils, and in our bodies.

Methane emissions from enteric fermentation are significant, and these have an impact on our environment, our climate, and on ourselves. Although it is impossible to stop animal farming, there are ways of improving and affecting the amount of methane emissions being released through animal farming and enteric fermentation. Many consumers today also choose to leave away animal products from their lives (vegans). Others choose to buy organically produced animal products. We can all make an impact: as consumers, as farmers, and as policy-makers. There is not one single stakeholder in the supply chain that could not influence the future of animal farming, and the agricultural industry.

Learn more by watching Fertcare´s video “Managing nitrious oxide emissions from soil & fertilizer”:

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

 

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Estimated Global Methane Emissions 2020

What Are Stationary and Mobile Methane Sources?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change
Estimated Global Methane Emissions 2020
Estimated Global Methane Emissions 2020

Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which today accounts for at least a quarter of all anthropogenic climate change, has many different sources. The largest human-caused methane source is enteric fermentation, the digestive process in the animal farming industry, followed by oil and gas production, landfills, rice cultivation, wastewater, other agricultural sources, coal mining, agricultural manure, biomass, and stationary and mobile sources of anthropogenic methane emissions.

Stationary and mobile sources of methane being released into Earth’s atmosphere through human activity refers to combustion practices, with these accounting for an estimated one percent of other than natural methane activity on Earth. It is a byproduct of burning fossil fuels and organic matter in order to transform these into energy and heat.

According to the GMI (Global Methane Initiative), which is part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA, there will be a 15% increase of human-caused methane emissions by 2020. Moreover, according to EPA/GMI, methane mitigation (projects) include many benefits for the overall (global) environment, not only in terms of reducing excess odors, but also in terms of minimizing anthropogenic methane emissions which are at a large scale responsible for the greenhouse effect and climate change on Earth since industrialization.

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

 

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Methane Emissions From Biomass Production

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

chart (1)

Although biomass is currently being classified as a renewable energy source, it accounts for some  3% (three per cent) of total global methane emissions (with methane being a powerful greenhouse gas and anthropogenic methane emissions being known for causing Earth´s climate to warm). According to Vattenfall, one of the largest European retailers for electricty and fully owned (100%) by the Swedish state, biomass is at this time the largest single renewable energy source in the European Union.

Biomass and waste currently account for 2/3 (two-thirds) of renewable energy production worldwide, stated by Vattenfall. The state of Sweden has learned how to utilize waste to such an extent that it today is obliged to IMPORT waste in order to keep up with its (biomass) energy production. What a genius idea to turn waste into energy! Of course, the most optimal solution would be not to create any waste at all, but at the current state of the world, many countries are facing problems with for instance recycling, not to mention how these countries manage waste. Why destroy the environment and our soils by dumping all kinds of waste to landfills without any recycling, when there are much better options, such as biomass production and recycling available?

These are not only questions of environmental or human well-being, but also important issues concerning recycling, waste management, human health, animal health, planetary health, and the creation of sustainable business models and lucrative income for societies around the globe. Of course, biomass can not be created from any kind of waste. Today, biomass is being created and used mainly in countries focused on forest industries, and agriculture, whereby waste from these can be utilized to produce biomass energy from (renewable) sources.

Although biomass is today regarded to be a renewable energy source, and definitely more environmentally friendly than for instance coal, gas and oil production, the production of biomass involves both agriculture and forestry. If other renewable source of energy are at hand, there should be no need to excessively cut down forests or grow crops in order to produce biomass, if and when there are more environmentally friendly options available.

It is estimated that the demand for biomass will at least double in the upcoming decades, with scenarios up to 2050. According to the World Energy Council´s report World Energy Resources – Bioenergy | 2016, bioenergy currently accounts for 10% of total global energy supply, with biofuels being a sustainable option in the replacement of oil dependency. Moreover, with growing concerns for environmental well-being even in terms of biomass production, bioenergy is framed by sustainability standards such as ISO, only to mention one of many. The World Energy Council states that the use of waste and residues as raw material to produce bioenergy is most optimal.

Following video, “What is Biomass”, published by FairEnergy, briefly explains what biomass (production) is:

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

 

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Enteric Fermentation Largest Single Source of Global Methane Emissions

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

chart (1)

Why is the amount of people worldwide who decide to go either vegetarian or vegan constantly growing? In the United States alone, the number of vegans has grown by 500% in a few years time only. The reasons for vegetarianism and veganism are many: some people simply do not like the taste of meat, others may suffer from a fish intolerance or allergy. A lot of people do not want to harm animals, and find it cruel to grow animals just in order to slaughter them and consume them. Among the many vegans I have personally met, one of the main reasons for their decision to cut out any animal products, including eggs and dairy, from their diets, is since they have found it improve their health and well-being.

Despite of the many dietary suggestions given to us by a number of experts, every individual who can afford buying and choosing their diet in the first place should be his or her own best expert. Unfortunately this is also not true most of the time since more and more people on our planet suffer from excess weight due to unhealthy consumption habits, while on the other side of the coin, millions of people go hungry and are malnourished due to lack of access to many-sided, nutrient-rich food. For those who can afford consuming meat products, dietitians usually state that (red) meat products contain all the necessary amino acids which are key ingredients of protein and our bodies capacity to build and maintain muscle tissue, while vegans especially have to make an extra effort to access all the necessary amino acids that are essential building stones of the protein our bodies need. Otherwise, human beings actually have no real need to consume meat or seafood. Even vegans can choose plant-based products with all the necessary amino acids (and, proteins). It is also a fact that consuming proteins in excess will lead to these being stored as fat (lipids) in our bodies. Thus, a balanced and healthy diet is always key to our overall well-being.

A major reason to choose veganism (or, vegetarianism) today is climate-related. Enteric fermentation, the digestive process of livestock, is the largest single emitter of anthropogenic methane emissions on a global scale. Around one-third of all human-caused methane emissions worldwide stems from enteric fermentation, predominantly from cattle. Every time we choose to consume meat, we contribute to an increase in global greenhouse emissions (methane). It is also questionable how much sense it makes to grow crops in order to feed animals that human beings will slaughter and consume, contributing at least twice as much to an increase in global greenhouse gas emissions.

The FAO (Food And Agriculture Organization of The United Nations) published “Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock – A Global Assessment Of Emissions And Mitigation Opportunities” in 2013. Access the PDF version of the publication here. The report is a compact global assessment of GHG emissions stemming from livestock supply chains with a discussion about research methodology, and dividing the study into clear chapters and themes such as overall emissions, main sources of emissions, emissions by geographical region, emissions by species, mitigation (potential and practice) with case studies, concluding the report with a chapter on suggestions for policy-making.

Most of us can afford to make individual/personal choices of consumption, influencing decision-makers to create better and more sustainable policies. In a world faced with many problems such as hunger and malnutrition, climate change, and an increasing amount of population battling problems with overweight, individual choices are not always enough. According to FAO`s “Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock – A Global Assessment Of Emissions And Mitigation Opportunities”, it is possible to reduce emissions stemming from all species in all regions, but there is an urgent need for better policies. FAO states that tackling difficult problems can be made possible with the right policies, innovations and investments. It has to be understood that through the necessary measures taken, we are better equipped to deal with large-scale problems such as climate change and a rapidly growing world population. The report concludes that additional research and development is necessary, improving the measurement of emissions, and support from global initiatives focusing on livestock especially due to its complexity and size.

Learn more by watching FAO´s video “Climate change mitigation in the livestock sector: overall potential, options and case studies”:

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

 

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How Does Rice Cultivation Contribute to Global Methane Emissions?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

chart (1)

This article is a continuation to my earlier articles upon climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and the influence of methane in Earth´s atmosphere. Access some of my previous articles here:

Climate Forcing Methane

Methane Release Poses Climate Risks

Climate Amplifier Methane

Methane is an Environmental Wildcard

In brief, methane is a greenhouse gas at least 22 times as powerful as carbon dioxide. It can be found naturally in Earth´s environment: for instance, permafrost in the Arctic region is a significant “storage room” for methane. Due to its powerful qualities as an energy source, methane is a key ingredient in the fossil fuel energy sector, i.e. oil and gas industries. What may be surprising to many is that one of the main emitters of climate amplifier methane is the agriculture and farming sector. In this article, we will take a closer look at rice cultivation, which alone accounts for around 10% (per cent) of all methane emissions worldwide.

According to the Rice Association, rice is being cultivated in more than one hundred (100) countries worldwide, with Antarctica being the only continent with no rice cultivation. With majority of all rice being consumed where cultivated, rice is the main source of food for half of world population. Today, world population is almost 7,6 billion. Hence, at least 3,8 billion people worldwide currently depend on rice as their main source of food. See the nutritional value here: Fineli – Rice, Boiled Without Salt.

With the many varieties of rice being cultivated in different countries, only a handful of these are being marketed. In Finland, for instance, a consumer can find basmati rice, jasmine rice, full corn rice, dark rice, white rice, various kinds of risotto rice under different labels/producers, porridge rice, and a number of other rice products such as rice cakes. Despite of being a widely cultivated crop/grain, at least 90% of all rice grows on the Asian continent.

Some of the major concerns of rice cultivation is the fact that it consumes more than 33% (one third) of all irrigation water worldwide. (KULUTTAJA – Velaksi viljelty basmatiriisi). One grain, one food product, which wastes more water than any other agricultural product. In times of water scarcity, and hundreds of millions of people worldwide with no access to clean water, this is a waste of energy and a waste of our most valuable natural resource: fresh water. If you have ever seen a rice field in nature, or e.g. on TV, you are aware of how a rice field looks like: covered with water, a rice field is not only a huge absorbent of fresh irrigation water, but also an optimal environment for methane to thrive. The production of one single kilo rice consumes up to 5.000 liters of water.

IRRI, the International Rice Research Institute, states on its website that the amount of rice lands globally is around 150.000.000 (150 million) hectares, half of which are under continuous irrigation. Furthermore, according to IRRI,within less than a decade at least 10-15% of irrigated rice fields will suffer from water scarcity. IRRI has been working for decades in improving methods and technologies in rice cultivation, through science and research. Despite of its high methane emissions and the amount of water needed for cultivation, IRRI estimates that our world needs up to 10.000.000 tons more rice each year to ensure food security for world population. Moreover, vast areas of rice-cultivating lands face risks due to climate change, such as destructive floods. Rice alone is not a sufficient source of nutrition: a large amount of rice eaters suffer from malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency. (IRRI Brochure).

Learn more by watching “Climate-friendly rice farming in the Philippines | Global Ideas” by DW English:

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

 

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