3. State-Level Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions
While virtually all U.S. states have important agricultural sectors, their agricultural emission rates vary significantly due to climate differences and the type and intensity of agriculture within the state.
A major factor is the amount of livestock. The top 10 highest overall greenhouse gas emitters (including fossil fuel emissions) account for nearly 50% of national emissions, with Texas and California in the lead. (See total emissions listed below state names in Figures 8 and 9 on pages 47 and 48.) However, the states with the largest total agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are Iowa (63 MMT CO2 eq./yr.) with more than 10% of all U.S. agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, Texas (38 MMT CO2 eq./yr.), Nebraska (33 MMT CO2 eq./yr.), and California (29 MMT CO2 eq./yr.). All of these states have both very high numbers of livestock and extensive cropland.States also vary in the significance of agricultural emissions, accounting for more than 50% of total state emissions in South Dakota, and more than 30% of state emissions in Idaho, Nebraska, and Iowa. Finally, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions also vary when scaled by total cropland acres, indicating the relative intensity of the agricultural practices and the portion of
47
livestock or poultry to cropland, with Arkansas, North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, and California in the lead under this metric. State-specific policies should take into account the particularities of each state’s agricultural and total economic sectors.
More on the topic 3. State-Level Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
- 2. U.S. Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- 1. Global Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- A. Agricultural Systems and Practices for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- At first glance, reducing net agricultural greenhouse gas emissions through public law poses a considerable challenge.
- Postproduction greenhouse gas emissions, while significant, have not been comprehensively catalogued in the United States.20
- A. Upstream: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Farm Inputs
- Methane and nitrous oxide are the two main greenhouse gases emitted by agricultural sources. EPA has several direct regulatory tools available to reduce emissions of these greenhouse gases, including recognizing the harm or “endangerment” caused by these pollutants and promulgating regulatory programs to require or support their reduction.
- E. Greenhouse Gas Pricing
- There are a number of ways that the private and nonprofit sectors can boost carbon farming and help reduce net agricultural emissions.
- We cannot implement effective policies to reduce agricultural emissions without an accurate understanding of the primary constituencies.
- Agricultural activities not only emit greenhouse gases but can change the amount of carbon stored in soils and biomass, thus effectively releasing or absorbing CO2.
- A variety of federal, state, and local agencies outside of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) support or regulate agricultural production.
- Congress’ expressed purpose for supporting agricultural research and extension is not only to increase the productivity of agriculture,7 but also to “[maintain and enhance] the natural resource base on which rural America and the United States agricultural economy depend.”8