Agriculture: also responsible for emissions

According to the European Environment Agency, of all greenhouse gas emissions in the EU in 2006, energy generation accounted for 30.9%, transport for 19.4%, households and services for 14.6%, construction and industrial production for 12.9%, agriculture for 9.2%, industrial processes for 8.1%, and the waste disposal sector for 2.9% of all emissions. The remaining harmful emissions are generated by utilisation of chemical solvents and unspecified combustion processes. In its resolution of 4 February 2009, the European Parliament submits a number of proposals and recommendations for the European Commission regarding agriculture, forestry and soil protection. As argued by the European Parliament, the authorities in Brussels should, to a greater extent, pay attention to the agriculture's impact on both absorption and emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

 

How can we support Polish agriculture?
Without precise measurement of emissions and absorption rate, accurate evaluation and generation of certificates necessary to trade in emissions would not be feasible. "CIDG Technology" is a complex solution which allows upgrade and planning of efficiency of the Polish agriculture. "CIDG Technology"  enables the quantification of CO2 absorption by agricultural plants, which represents a genuine opportunity for Polish agricultural manufacturers to sell emission rights, in particular given that some 40% of Poland is agricultural or forestry land.
 

The system enables agricultural manufacturers to plan and execute crop plans considering their impact on carbon sequestration in soil and vegetation. This is of importance in economic terms, notably in areas where less intense farming takes place. CIDG Technology also calculates the volume of reduced carbon emissions for each area based on standardised units, the Certified Carbon Emission Reduction Credits (CCERs), which can later be traded in on the market.

 

"CIDG Technology" - operational method

"CIDG Technology" is a system established by CrowleyTechnology Inc., designed to meet the growing needs of emission calculation and greenhouse gas (GHG) absorption. The system is designed so that agricultural farm owners can make the calculations themselves, verify them and obtain emission certificates from an authorised certification body.

 

"CIDG technology"  is composed of 4 key components:

1. internet data input system;
2. client database;
3. Geographical Information System (GIS); used to input, collect, process and visualise geographical data, which also supports the decision making process, containing data on soil, climate and historical usage parameters regarding soil in a given area;
4. biogeochemical ecosystem model called CENTURY, which shows carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) absorption by various types of ecosystems, including savannas, forests, and agricultural ecosystems.

 

 The first component, that is a friendly and internet-browser-based data input system, enables the user to input basic data on crop history over recent years, fertilisers used, and other information necessary to give a preliminary estimate of the absorption of carbon compounds by a given agricultural area. The GIS system and crop database input the details that were not provided by the farmer. This is input data to launch the CENTURY model, which calculates annual change in carbon volume in the soil. Subsequent simulations using the Monte-Carlo model are designed to determine the measurement accuracy and probability scenarios. As a result, authorised models are built that identify possibilities of obtaining CCER certificates depending on the future use of a given area.

 Although natural sources of greenhouse gas emissions are 20 times greater than man-made sources, it is believed that humans have a significant (and controllable) impact on global warming and climate change.

 

Human activities which increase the volume of greenhouse gas emissions include:

  • burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal - carbon dioxide emissions);
  • slash and burn (reduced CO2 absorption);
  • cattle farming (methane generation);
  • soil fertilisation (increased nitrogen presence in the soil, generation of N2O);
  • use of greenhouse gases in the industry (ozone, CFCs, etc.).