IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/masfgc/v20y2015i2p295-315.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural irrigation in China

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaoxia Zou
  • Yu’e Li
  • Kuo Li
  • Roger Cremades
  • Qingzhu Gao
  • Yunfan Wan
  • Xiaobo Qin

Abstract

Global change caused by increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has become a common concern of the international community. As the largest emitter of GHGs and the second largest irrigator in the world, a clear understanding of how much GHG is emitted from irrigation in China is of great importance. But no previous studies address this question. So based on Chinese official statistical data, this study estimates GHG emissions from agricultural irrigation in order to inform strategies for reasonable use of water resources and emission reduction. The study finds that in 2010 the total carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) equivalent (CO 2 -e) emission from agricultural irrigation is 36.72~54.16 Mt. Emissions from energy activities in irrigation (including water pumping and conveyance) account for 50 % ~ 70 % of total emissions from energy activities in the agriculture sector. Ground water pumping is the biggest emission source, accounting for 60.97 % of total irrigation emissions. Given the extent of global ground water over exploitation, balancing conservation and exploitation of ground water resources is very important to both emission reduction and sustainable development. The GHG emission intensity of irrigation depends largely on water use efficiency, so improvement of water use efficiency (both technical and managerial) can be an effective way to reduce emissions. Enhanced overall management of water utilization, balanced exploitation of water resources to avoid excessive ground water consumption, and active promotion of water use efficiency can contribute to reducing GHG emissions and pressure on water resources and advance sustainable agricultural production. Copyright The Author(s) 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaoxia Zou & Yu’e Li & Kuo Li & Roger Cremades & Qingzhu Gao & Yunfan Wan & Xiaobo Qin, 2015. "Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural irrigation in China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 295-315, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:masfgc:v:20:y:2015:i:2:p:295-315
    DOI: 10.1007/s11027-013-9492-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11027-013-9492-9
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11027-013-9492-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yohannes, Fekadu & Tadesse, Teshome, 1998. "Effect of drip and furrow irrigation and plant spacing on yield of tomato at Dire Dawa, Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 201-207, January.
    2. Rajak, Daleshwar & Manjunatha, M.V. & Rajkumar, G.R. & Hebbara, M. & Minhas, P.S., 2006. "Comparative effects of drip and furrow irrigation on the yield and water productivity of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in a saline and waterlogged vertisol," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 83(1-2), pages 30-36, May.
    3. Nelson, Gerald C. & Robertson, Richard & Msangi, Siwa & Zhu, Tingju & Liao, Xiaoli & Jawajar, Puja, 2009. "Greenhouse gas mitigation: Issues for Indian agriculture," IFPRI discussion papers 900, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Maraseni, Tek Narayan & Mushtaq, Shahbaz & Hafeez, Mohsin & Maroulis, Jerry, 2010. "Greenhouse gas implications of water reuse in the Upper Pumpanga River Integrated Irrigation System, Philippines," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(3), pages 382-388, March.
    5. Xiaoxia Zou & Yu-e Li & Qingzhu Gao & Yunfan Wan, 2012. "How water saving irrigation contributes to climate change resilience—a case study of practices in China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 111-132, February.
    6. Karimi, Poolad & Qureshi, Asad Sarwar & Bahramloo, Reza & Molden, David, 2012. "Reducing carbon emissions through improved irrigation and groundwater management: A case study from Iran," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 52-60.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. He, Liuyue & Xu, Zhenci & Wang, Sufen & Bao, Jianxia & Fan, Yunfei & Daccache, Andre, 2022. "Optimal crop planting pattern can be harmful to reach carbon neutrality: Evidence from food-energy-water-carbon nexus perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    2. G. T. Patle & D. K. Singh & A. Sarangi & Manoj Khanna, 2016. "Managing CO2 emission from groundwater pumping for irrigating major crops in trans indo-gangetic plains of India," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 265-279, May.
    3. Zhang, Yongqiang & Ge, Maosheng & Zhang, Qianwen & Xue, Shaopeng & Wei, Fuqiang & Sun, Hao, 2023. "What did irrigation modernization in China bring to the evolution of water-energy-greenhouse gas emissions?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    4. Shi, Yifan & Lou, Yunsheng & Zhang, Yiwei & Xu, Zufei, 2021. "Quantitative contributions of climate change, new cultivars adoption, and management practices to yield and global warming potential in rice-winter wheat rotation ecosystems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    5. Martin L. Battaglia & Wade E. Thomason & John H. Fike & Gregory K. Evanylo & Ryan D. Stewart & Cole D. Gross & Mahmoud F. Seleiman & Emre Babur & Amir Sadeghpour & Matthew Tom Harrison, 2022. "Corn and Wheat Residue Management Effects on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Mid-Atlantic USA," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, June.
    6. Kargbo, Hannah & Harris, Jonathan Stuart & Phan, Anh N., 2021. "“Drop-in” fuel production from biomass: Critical review on techno-economic feasibility and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    7. Golam Saleh Ahmed Salem & So Kazama & Shamsuddin Shahid & Nepal C. Dey, 2018. "Groundwater-dependent irrigation costs and benefits for adaptation to global change," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 953-979, August.
    8. Roger Cremades & Hermine Mitter & Nicu Constantin Tudose & Anabel Sanchez-Plaza & Anil Graves & Annelies Broekman & Steffen Bender & Carlo Giupponi & Phoebe Koundouri & Muhamad Bahri & Sorin Cheval & , 2019. "Ten principles to integrate the water-energy-land nexus with climate services for co-producing local and regional integrated assessments," DEOS Working Papers 1915, Athens University of Economics and Business.
    9. Sudeshna Ghosh, 2022. "Effects of tourism on carbon dioxide emissions, a panel causality analysis with new data sets," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 3884-3906, March.
    10. Rahman, Syed Mahbubur & Mori, Akihisa & Rahman, Syed Mustafizur, 2022. "How does climate adaptation co-benefits help scale-up solar-powered irrigation? A case of the Barind Tract, Bangladesh," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 1039-1048.
    11. Pereira, L.G. & Cavalett, O. & Bonomi, A. & Zhang, Y. & Warner, E. & Chum, H.L., 2019. "Comparison of biofuel life-cycle GHG emissions assessment tools: The case studies of ethanol produced from sugarcane, corn, and wheat," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 1-12.
    12. Oliveira, Dener M.S. & Cherubin, Maurício R. & Franco, André L.C. & Santos, Augusto S. & Gelain, Jaquelini G. & Dias, Naissa M.S. & Diniz, Tatiana R. & Almeida, Alexandre N. & Feigl, Brigitte J. & Dav, 2019. "Is the expansion of sugarcane over pasturelands a sustainable strategy for Brazil's bioenergy industry?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 346-355.
    13. X. C. Cao & R. Shu & X. P. Guo & W. G. Wang, 2019. "Scarce water resources and priority irrigation schemes from agronomic crops," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 399-417, March.
    14. Wang, Chong & Gao, Zhenzhen & Zhao, Jiongchao & Feng, Yupeng & Laraib, Iqra & Shang, Mengfei & Wang, Kaicheng & Chen, Fu & Chu, Qingquan, 2022. "Irrigation-induced hydrothermal variation affects greenhouse gas emissions and crop production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    15. Jingxiu Qin & Weili Duan & Shan Zou & Yaning Chen & Wenjing Huang & Lorenzo Rosa, 2024. "Global energy use and carbon emissions from irrigated agriculture," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zou, Xiaoxia & Li, Yu’e & Cremades, Roger & Gao, Qingzhu & Wan, Yunfan & Qin, Xiaobo, 2013. "Cost-effectiveness analysis of water-saving irrigation technologies based on climate change response: A case study of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 9-20.
    2. G. T. Patle & D. K. Singh & A. Sarangi & Manoj Khanna, 2016. "Managing CO2 emission from groundwater pumping for irrigating major crops in trans indo-gangetic plains of India," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 265-279, May.
    3. Christine Heumesser & Sabine Fuss & Jana Szolgayová & Franziska Strauss & Erwin Schmid, 2012. "Investment in Irrigation Systems under Precipitation Uncertainty," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(11), pages 3113-3137, September.
    4. Xiaoxia Zou & Yu-e Li & Qingzhu Gao & Yunfan Wan, 2012. "How water saving irrigation contributes to climate change resilience—a case study of practices in China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 111-132, February.
    5. Yingchun Li & Wei Xiong & Wei Hu & Pam Berry & Hui Ju & Erda Lin & Wen Wang & Kuo Li & Jie Pan, 2015. "Integrated assessment of China’s agricultural vulnerability to climate change: a multi-indicator approach," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 355-366, February.
    6. Sulser, Timothy B. & Ringler, Claudia & Zhu, Tingju & Msangi, Siwa & Bryan, Elizabeth & Rosegrant, Mark W., 2009. "Green and blue water accounting in the Limpopo and Nile Basins: Implications for food and agricultural policy," IFPRI discussion papers 907, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Zhao, Rongqin & Liu, Ying & Tian, Mengmeng & Ding, Minglei & Cao, Lianhai & Zhang, Zhanping & Chuai, Xiaowei & Xiao, Liangang & Yao, Lunguang, 2018. "Impacts of water and land resources exploitation on agricultural carbon emissions: The water-land-energy-carbon nexus," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 480-492.
    8. Wang, Ruoshui & Kang, Yaohu & Wan, Shuqin & Hu, Wei & Liu, Shiping & Jiang, Shufang & Liu, Shuhui, 2012. "Influence of different amounts of irrigation water on salt leaching and cotton growth under drip irrigation in an arid and saline area," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 109-117.
    9. Ren, Hourui & Liu, Bin & Zhang, Zirui & Li, Fuxin & Pan, Ke & Zhou, Zhongli & Xu, Xiaoshuang, 2022. "A water-energy-food-carbon nexus optimization model for sustainable agricultural development in the Yellow River Basin under uncertainty," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    10. Molden, David & Oweis, T. Y. & Pasquale, S. & Kijne, Jacob W. & Hanjra, M. A. & Bindraban, P. S. & Bouman, Bas A. M. & Cook, S. & Erenstein, O. & Farahani, H. & Hachum, A. & Hoogeveen, J. & Mahoo, Hen, 2007. "Pathways for increasing agricultural water productivity," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    11. Fu, Xiaoke & Wu, Xiao & Wang, Haoyu & Chen, Yiwen & Wang, Rui & Wang, Yaqi, 2023. "Effects of fertigation with carboxymethyl cellulose potassium on water conservation, salt suppression, and maize growth in salt-affected soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    12. Zhang, Youliang & Feng, Shaoyuan & Wang, Fengxin & Feng, Ren & Nie, Wei, 2022. "Effects of drip discharge flux and soil wetted percentage on drip irrigated potato growth with film mulch," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    13. Yu, Liuyang & Zhao, Xining & Gao, Xiaodong & Siddique, Kadambot H.M., 2020. "Improving/maintaining water-use efficiency and yield of wheat by deficit irrigation: A global meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    14. Zhang, Tibin & Dong, Qin’ge & Zhan, Xiaoyun & He, Jianqiang & Feng, Hao, 2019. "Moving salts in an impermeable saline-sodic soil with drip irrigation to permit wolfberry production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 636-645.
    15. Vahid Habibi & Hasan Ahmadi & Mohammad Jafari & Abolfazl Moeini, 2019. "Application of nonlinear models and groundwater index to predict desertification case study: Sharifabad watershed," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 99(2), pages 715-733, November.
    16. Aiko Endo & Izumi Tsurita & Kimberly Burnett & Pedcris M. Orencio, 2016. "A Review of the Current State of Research on the Water, Energy, and Food Nexus," Working Papers 2016-7, University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
    17. Gathorne-Hardy, Alfred & Reddy, D. Narasimha & Venkatanarayana, M. & Harriss-White, Barbara, 2016. "System of Rice Intensification provides environmental and economic gains but at the expense of social sustainability — A multidisciplinary analysis in India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 159-168.
    18. Liu, Hao & Li, Huanhuan & Ning, Huifeng & Zhang, Xiaoxian & Li, Shuang & Pang, Jie & Wang, Guangshuai & Sun, Jingsheng, 2019. "Optimizing irrigation frequency and amount to balance yield, fruit quality and water use efficiency of greenhouse tomato," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    19. Ghasemi-Mobtaker, Hassan & Kaab, Ali & Rafiee, Shahin, 2020. "Application of life cycle analysis to assess environmental sustainability of wheat cultivation in the west of Iran," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    20. Jianping Yang & Chunping Tan & Shijin Wang & Shengxia Wang & Yuan Yang & Hongju Chen, 2015. "Drought Adaptation in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China: Actions, Planning, Pathways and Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-28, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:masfgc:v:20:y:2015:i:2:p:295-315. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.