Year of publication 1997

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Pages 25

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Author M. Storey ;Animal Production and Health Division

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Product type Document

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Edition 1

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Synopsis (short abstract) This paper discusses the role of the agriculture sector as a source and a sink of emissions both globally and in OECD countries, summarises recent trends in agricultural policies in OECD countries and discusses the relationships between agricultural practices and emissions and removals of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O). For each agricultural practice which is a source or sink of GHGs the implications of recent agricultural policy measures are discussed. Finally, stressing certain caveats an d areas where further information is needed, initial conclusions are made as to the impacts of recent agricultural policy reforms on net emissions of GHGs. The analysis of this paper is on the effects of agricultural policy reform measures at the regional /national level. Changes in agricultural production practices as a result of policy reforms may reduce emissions from a particular country or region particularly if the principal impact of these reforms is to reduce levels of production. Howeve r these benefits may be offset by increased production and emissions in other countries. Ultimately, because climate change impacts are not influenced by the location of GHG emissions there is a need for the impacts of OECD agricultural policy reforms to be assessed at the global scale. However, because information on the national impacts on GHGs of agricultural policy reforms is relatively limited and only now being developed, information with which to estimate global effects is even more limit ed. Incorporating this type of information into global models which evaluate the impacts of policy reforms on agricultural production patterns may be a first step towards providing some information on the potential global effects of these reforms.

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Language English

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