ABSTRACT
The carbon cycle holds center stage in global change studies owing to its role in influencing weather and determining food, fiber, and wood supply for human use through plant productivity. In recent times, a continuous rise in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere has led to global warming and associated climate change. Increased emissions of GHGs such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) have led to temperature rise, change in precipitation pattern, melting of glaciers, rise in sea level, and increased frequency of extreme events. Anthropogenic emissions of GHGs increased by 70% between 1970 and 2004, and these are estimated to increase further by 25 to 95% by 2030 (Rose and McCarl, 2008). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its 5th Assessment Report (AR5) published in 2013-2014, warned about dire consequences of climate change on agriculture, human health, settlements, and natural resources, if no measures are taken to curb the ill effects of global warming. Baseline scenarios, those without additional mitigation, result in global mean surface temperature increases in
19.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 431 19.2 Carbon Footprint ................................................................................................................ 432 19.3 Why Estimate the Carbon Footprint of Agricultural Products? ........................................ 432 19.4 How to Estimate the Carbon Footprint of Agricultural Products? .................................... 433 19.5 Carbon Footprint of Agricultural Products ....................................................................... 434 19.6 Carbon Footprint of Livestock Sector ...............................................................................440 19.7 Carbon Footprint of Piggery and Poultry .......................................................................... 441 19.8 Carbon Footprint of Fisheries ............................................................................................ 441 19.9 Carbon Footprint of Food Habits ....................................................................................... 441 19.10 Strategies to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Agricultural Produce ................................442
