Carbon Shortcuts: Episode 1:
Carbon, Carbon, Carbon - There’s more noise around it than a marching band!
Welcome to Carbon Shortcuts: An introduction to all things carbon in Aussie Agriculture.
This series is designed to help get you across the things that matter in a way that is easy to understand.
Across this series, Samantha Noon and Oli Le Lievre host a discussion with professor Richard Eckard from the University of Melbourne, A Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre, a research centre addressing the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture.
Richard developed the first greenhouse gas accounting tools for agriculture with his research and expertise provided the science basis for the development of six carbon offset methods in Australia.
“We need more people in agriculture to be aware of these options... We need to broaden the understanding." - Richard
Episode 1:
Understanding Australia's Emission Reduction Goals:
We begin by understanding Australia's commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and reducing emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Professor Eckard explains that while most sectors have seen an increase in emissions, the livestock sector has remained relatively flat, primarily due to fluctuations in animal numbers. He emphasizes the need to address emissions from coal-fired power and fossil fuel use, which account for the majority of Australia's emissions.
“That’s where more than 65% of Australia’s emissions lie” Richard said
Additionally, climate change's physical effects, such as droughts and market challenges, have contributed to a slowdown in emission growth across various industries.
“if you look at an ABARES report recently saying the most industries have actually flatlined in productivity growth as a result of about a 20% challenge that climate change has given them.”
Baseline Years and Carbon Neutrality:
We explore the concept of baseline years and their significance in determining emission reduction targets. The Kyoto Protocol initially set 1990 as the baseline year, but the Paris Agreement allowed countries to choose their own baselines.
“most targets are saying ‘we'll achieve something by 2030. And another thing by 2050’, mostly net zero by 2050. So there's a lot of gaming that goes in on baseline years and choice of baseline yours and don't believe Australia's any different anyone else in that”
Carbon Neutral vs Net Zero:
"Carbon Neutral we just talked about is reducing your emissions down to close to zero, and then offsetting the balance to get to zero final result."
“the original intention, by the by the international community in defining Net Zero, was you do everything you can in your power to reduce emissions first, and then only when you can't reduce them any further, then you're allowed to bring in offsets to get to zero”
“So if you buy a carbon neutral steak, for example, it's only the 200 grams on your plate that is actually carbon neutral”
“It's not the entire production system, the breeder heard that was needed behind the scenes to produce that steer that then was cut up and delivered to your plate, all of those emissions are not covered”
Climate Neutral and Other Environmental Claims:
“carbon neutral. It's an unfortunate term for the agricultural industries. Because we inherited that carbon neutrality from the fossil fuel industries where the desire is no more carbon emissions”
“Climate Neutral assumes that short lived gases like methane don't have to be zero, to achieve the same level of ambition of reducing warming.
“So the New Zealand target is a good example where they've said, Well, if we steadily reduce methane from cows in New Zealand, by 47% by 2050, methane will no longer be warming the atmosphere any more than it is today.”
The Challenge of Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture:
The conversation shifts to the red meat sector's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Professor Eckard highlights the sector's unique challenges, as emissions vary across different agricultural industries.
“95% of the emissions in a bottle of wine is about the glass and the cleaning of the glass and the energy use”
“Can the livestock industries ever be carbon neutral?
“unless we can come up with a perpetually low methane animal, ruminant animal, achieving carbon neutrality can't be done with offsets”
“We've had a couple of farmers where they have achieved carbon neutrality by planting trees, 23% of the farm down to trees, bought them five years of carbon neutrality at a high stocking rate”
Achieving carbon neutrality requires addressing specific emissions sources, implementing mitigation strategies, and potentially developing methane-reducing dietary supplements.
“a supplement by definition has to be present at all times in the rumen of the animal everywhere we methane is being generated in the rumen of the animal for it to be effective. The less you get it in less frequently, the less effective it is. And then you get cattle in the Kimberley who never see the supplement. So the challenge is not small.”
Sell or hold the credits?
“the net zero Australia plan that University of Melbourne and University of Queensland have just published.”
“what that told us abundantly clearly is that for agriculture to meet its own supply chain targets. They can't afford to sell any offsets to anyone.”
“Agriculture in its own right is going to struggle to meet its own supply chain targets by 2030 to 2050. This notion that there are all these surplus offsets to suddenly provide to the industrial sector is quite fanciful”.
Series sponsor:
This series is sponsored by Ruminati, an online emissions calculator created by farmers for farmers. You can learn more about their solution via the link in the show notes or by listening to our bonus episodes after episodes 3 and 4.
Disclaimer:
The information shared in this series is general in nature and the views shared are that of Professor Richard Eckard. Humans of Agriculture do not endorse his views, we are sharing this information designed to be a conversation starter. If you’d like to know more we recommend reaching out to an expert in the Carbon space.