Protecting the climate is a major global challenge. Since the beginning of industrialization, the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) in particular into the earth's atmosphere has risen constantly. Swift and decisive action must be taken to significantly limit the rise in the Earth's average temperature.
Only if this succeeds can the biological adaptability of the planet and the livelihoods of billions of people be preserved. From an economic perspective, too, the higher the temperature rise, the greater the costs of climate damage and the necessary adaptation costs to climate change. The potential (material) damage significantly exceeds the avoidance costs - not to mention the irreparable damage to life and limb.
Climate protection in agriculture in accordance with the German government's Climate Action Plan 2050
BMUV: Climate Action Plan 2050 (DE) | Publication
Initial situation
Agriculture is particularly affected by climate change, but is also an emitter of greenhouse gases. It can also make an important contribution to climate protection through the sustainable production of biogenic raw materials. The core task of agriculture is to ensure food security in a sustainable manner. At the same time, it is the aim of the Federal Government to exploit further climate protection potential in agriculture in addition to adapting agriculture to climate change. The protection of natural resources and other tasks are performed by agriculture.
The German government is funding research and development projects to tap into further potential for adapting to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. In 2014, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture amounted to 72 million tons of CO2 equivalent, which is eight percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany.
The largest sources of emissions are nitrous oxide emissions as a result of nitrogen use in fertilization (25 million tonnes CO2-equivalent), methane emissions from the digestion of ruminants (25 million tonnes CO2-equivalent), emissions from manure management (ten million tonnes CO2-equivalent) and greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fuel by agricultural machinery and vehicles (six million tonnes CO2-equivalent).
In 2014, emissions from agriculture were around 18% below the 1990 level. The significant reductions between 1990 and 1994 are primarily due to the decline in livestock numbers as a result of structural change in the new federal states. Further reductions resulted, for example, from improved fertilizer management. As agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are largely based on natural physiological processes, they can only be reduced to a limited extent by technical measures.
2050 vision and transformation path
Food security, climate protection, the supply of renewable raw materials and the preservation of natural resources are among the most important tasks of agriculture. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that these tasks go hand in hand as far as possible and that potential conflicts of objectives are avoided. Due to biological processes in plant cultivation and animal husbandry, it is not possible to reduce emissions to zero, as is the case in other sectors.
The focus of climate protection efforts in agriculture up to 2050 will be on measures aimed at reducing emissions and increasing resource efficiency in sustainable agricultural production. Agriculture cannot completely avoid its greenhouse gas emissions, even in the long term. However, agriculture must also make further significant reductions by 2050 compared to the interim target for 2030, also in view of the fact that sufficient emission volumes are still available, particularly for unavoidable process emissions from industry.
While maintaining agricultural production for a growing world population and in view of the UN Sustainable Development Goal "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture" (SDG 2), this goal poses major challenges and requires a wide range of research efforts. Research activities must be stepped up at both national and international level.
An important path to achieving the climate protection target is to reduce nitrogen surpluses and reduce them permanently. Among other things, ammonia emissions from agriculture must be substantially reduced. The reduction obligations of the NEC Directive (EU Directive on national emission ceilings for certain air pollutants) must be met as soon as possible, and further reductions are necessary in order to achieve the targets of the NERC Directive, which sets out national emission reduction obligations up to 2030. The transition to a sustainable, more bio-based economy, which - in accordance with the National Policy Strategy Bioeconomy - uses fewer fossil raw materials or does without them altogether, should be driven forward in the interests of climate protection.
A sustainable bioeconomy contributes both to achieving the climate targets and to achieving various sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Due to biological processes in plant cultivation, a reduction to zero emissions in the production of cultivated biomass is not possible.
Since the energy supply must be almost completely decarbonized by 2050 at the latest and due to the use of land for food, the importance of the climate protection contribution of bioenergy from cultivated mass will reach its limits.
In contrast, the use of bioenergy from residual and waste materials will make an important contribution to cross-sectoral energy supply so that the sustainable potential available can be exploited.
A quantitative expansion of the cultivation area of renewable raw materials beyond the current level is not to be expected and is also out of the question for the time being due to land restrictions and sustainability considerations. For example, the fermentation of plant biomass from the biogas industry has been partly responsible for rising ammonia emissions in Germany in recent years.
In view of the competition for land and land use due to cultivated biomass, this transformation path also supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the areas of nutrition (SDG 2) and biodiversity (SDG 15). As far as possible, cascading and coupled use must be the goal. The requirements of the 1st Federal Immission Control Ordinance (BImschV) must be observed to minimize particulate matter pollution when using wood and straw.
Milestones 2030
According to the interim target for 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture must be reduced to 58 to 61 million tons of CO2 equivalents by 2030. In order to reduce emissions of reactive nitrogen in the agricultural sector, the aim should be to significantly reduce nitrogen surpluses by increasing the efficiency of fertilization. Between 2028 and 2032, the nitrogen surplus in the overall balance should be reduced to 70 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare. A further significant reduction is to be achieved by 2050.
An integrated nitrogen report by the German government will present the current status of nitrogen emissions from the various sectors in 2017 and describe solutions for reducing reactive nitrogen emissions. In addition, ammonia emissions from agriculture must be substantially reduced. The reduction obligations of the NEC Directive must be met as soon as possible. Further reductions will be necessary if the NERC Directive, which sets out national emission reduction commitments up to 2030, is to be implemented. Reduction measures are required, for example, in the area of management and/or through technology.
Further synergies between air pollution control and climate protection result from the fact that reduced methane emissions contribute to a reduction in long-range ozone pollution. 20 percent of agricultural land should be farmed organically. In 2014, this proportion was 6.3 percent. A further expansion of organic farming is also desirable in view of the constantly increasing demand for organically produced products. The discussion on the next reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will take place in the period up to 2020.
The design of the CAP and its national implementation have a significant influence on the intensity of farming and therefore also on the resulting GHG emissions. With the introduction of the "greening" of direct payments as part of the 2013 CAP reform, the EU Commission has pursued the goal of making agricultural policy more environmentally friendly.
In future, the CAP should also make an even greater contribution to climate protection goals. To this end, possible future elements of the CAP should be examined with regard to their effectiveness for climate protection. The promotion of climate-friendly production methods should be aligned with the principle of "public funds for public services".
If you write to us, we will get back to you as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours. Of course you can also call us at any time!