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•The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

Achieving Emissions Reductions Crop Protection Products’ Role in Creating a Sustainable Agriculture

•The world’s leading sustainability consultancy

Delivering sustainable solutions in a more competitive world

The threat from climate change Source: World Economic Forum,

Global Risks 2012


What will happen to agricultural greenhouse gas

emissions as we address the increasing global demand for crops?


Feeding the World According to the United

Nations, by 2050 • the world’s population is

expected to reach 8.9 billion 1

• food production must

increase by 70% to meet

this growing demand 2

• And adapt to climate change itself

• In 2005, agriculture accounted for 10%-12% of total global

anthropogenic GHG emissions 3

1 United Nations (2004), Department of Economic and Social Affairs/ Population Division, World Population to 2300 2 United Nation Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) 3 Smith P, et al (2007) Agriculture. Climate Change 2007: Mitigation Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change


What is Life Cycle Assessment & Carbon Footprinting?

• LCA is a technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product or service

• by compiling an inventory of inputs and outputs; evaluating the potential environmental impacts; and interpreting the results of the inventory analysis (ISO 14040, 2006)

• A product carbon footprint is a streamlined version of an LCA

• focuses on greenhouse gases only,

• reported as a single figure, carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2)

EMISSIONSeg N2O from soil, CH4 from manure

growing of crop

Use &

Disposal

Production food products/ biofuels

harvesting

raw materialseg seeds,

fertilisers, crop protection

INPUTS eg energy, water

cradle to gate cradle to grave


What activities contribute the most to the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with

crop production?


GHG Emissions Associated with Maize Growing

61% 31% 6%

1% 1%Crop protection products Fertiliser production Fertiliser application

Energy and fuels Other inputs

• Key contributor to GHG emissions of maize growing is the production of and N2O emissions associated with the application of fertilisers

• Higher yields are achieved through nutrient application, ie a balance to be created between yield and GHG emissions

• Crop protection does not contribute significantly, accounting for 1% of the total

Figure does not include for land use change


Carbon Footprint of the Cultivation of Cotton

34% 18% 44%

4% 1%Crop protection products Fertiliser production Fertiliser application

Energy and fuels Other inputs

• Key contributors to the GHG emissions associated with cotton production are energy and fertilizer production and application

• Again, a direct link between yield and GHG emissions

• Crop protection does not contribute significantly, accounting for 4% of the total


Industry Life Cycle Thinking Initiatives

• Building a better understanding of the climate change impacts of and benefits with crop protection products in the context of agricultural production

• Collaborate to calculate the average GHG emissions associated with CPP in order to meet demand for information and support further understanding of the GHG impacts of agriculture

The average GHG emissions associated with the production of CPP is calculated to be

5.5 kg CO2e per litre of finished product

This is based on a collaborative project between CropLife and the main producers and builds on company own information covering the ‘cradle-to-gate’ aspects of CPP production


Monitoring progress towards meeting needs

• Striking the right balance - between increasing yield and GHG emissions

• And understanding how to achieve this

• understanding the climate change impacts per tonne crop produced

• Including monitoring progress

• how key factors interlink to achieve improved yield

• at a level that provides the best insight

• model farms / pilots?

• natural level?

• regional level?

• all of the above

farming practices

nutrients

crop protection

irrigation

temperatureseeds

farm machinery

harvesting techniques

IMPROVEDYIELD


Final Remarks

• With growing populations and limited global land available for crop growing, yield gain is the focus area

• Crop protection products play a key part in this

• …and in adapting to climate change, their role may become even more important

• Focus for the crop protection sector is to avoid crop loss at minimal GHG emissions

• which means lower GHG emissions per quantity of crop produced

• …not necessarily per quantity of CPP


About ERM ERM is a leading global provider of environmental, health, safety, risk and social consulting services in influential assignments. For over 40 years we have been working with clients around the world and in diverse industry sectors to help them to understand and manage their impacts. Over 4,00 employees in 40 countries across the globe. Over the past five years we have worked for approximately 60% of the Global Fortune 500.

Simon Aumônier

Principal Partner

[email protected]

Contact details:

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