Greenhouse gas emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic from agriculture in China

Highlights

● Methane led China’s growth in net greenhouse gas emissions over the pandemic.

● N₂O was linked to fertilizers and waste management.

● CO₂ emissions varied by region, calling for tailored mitigation approaches.

● COVID-19 boosted methane from pig farming disruptions.

Abstract

To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural carbon emissions in China, the greenhouse gas emissions generated by crop and livestock production, and agricultural material and energy inputs in China from 2019 to 2021 were systematically calculated. It was found that from 2019 to 2021, Net greenhouse gas emissions (NGHGE) from agriculture in China had an increasing trend. Methane emissions ranked first in NGHGE, with an annual proportion exceeding 65% and an increasing annual trend. CH₄ emissions were primarily influenced by enteric fermentation and rice production. Nitrous oxide emissions accounted for around 22% of annual NGHGE and decreased from 2019 to 2021. The main sources of N₂O emissions were the use of nitrogen fertilizers and manure management. Carbon dioxide emissions accounted for about 18% annually, with diesel and agricultural electricity use contributing to over 60% of CO₂ emissions. Soil carbon sequestration represented about a 6.1% lowering of NGHGE. The combined proportion of CH₄ emissions from enteric fermentation and rice production accounted for over 50% of total GHG emissions. The changes in NGHGE were mainly caused by disturbance of the livestock industry during the pandemic.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Agricultural systems / emission factors / greenhouse gases / soil carbon sequestration

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Acknowledgements

The research results of this article are sponsored by the Kunshan Municipal Government Research Funding (23KKSGR023).

Compliance with ethics guidelines

Jianing Tian, Chuanhui Gu, and Yanchao Bai declare that they have no conflicts of interest or financial conflicts to disclose. All applicable institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s) 2024. Published by Higher Education Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)