TITLE:
Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Biodiversity-Conscious Farming: A Case of Stork-Friendly Farming in Japan
AUTHORS:
Daisuke Sawauchi, Yasutaka Yamamoto
KEYWORDS:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Biodiversity, Life Cycle Assessment, Agriculture, Japan
JOURNAL NAME:
Low Carbon Economy,
Vol.6 No.1,
February
28,
2015
ABSTRACT: Although agriculture can contribute to ecosystem services, it can also be
a source of disservices, including loss of biodiversity and emissions of
greenhouse gases and pollutants. In this study, we evaluate the
biodiversity-conscious farming method in terms of the impact on global warming
by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) taking stork-friendly farming in Japan
as a case of farming method. The results show that efforts for biodiversity
conservation and countermeasures against global warming may be in a trade-off
relationship. The results suggest that expansion of the farming scale and
switch from low-agrichemical to agrichemical-free farming may be two possible
paths towards a lower carbon dioxide emission than the current level.