Scope and consequence of fertilizer on global emissions and its effect on climate change

Abstract

Intensive agriculture is the only way to feed the projected 9 billion people on the planet (FAO, 2002) by the end of this century. Agriculture is a major contributor of 10–12% of total global anthropogenic Green House Gases (GHG) to the atmosphere, but the emissions vary depending on the land use and the way that the land is managed. Fertilizer, energy - and chemical-intensive farming also contribute to the increased levels of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily as a result of the overuse of fertilizers, land clearance, soil degradation, and intensive animal farming. The Green House Gases (GHG) emissions from agriculture are (i) Nitrous oxide (N2O) resulting from excess fertilizer, results emissions from soil contributing to climate change (ii) Methane (CH4) from rice fields and enteric fermentation of cattle constitute emissions from agriculture (iii) Annual exchanges of CO2 between the atmosphere and agricultural lands, the net flux is estimated to be approximately balanced, with CO2 emissions. Assessing GHG emissions on laboratory, field and large scale is tedious, time consuming and laborious. This paper discuss about the activities and its consequences around the globe.