From staff reports OKLAHOMA CITY — American farmers are leading the way in greenhouse gas reduction.
The EPA recently released the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. In the report, American agriculture emissions reduced by almost 2% from 2021 to 2022, the largest decrease of any sector.
In the latest edition of Market Intel, American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the data, noting “U.S. agriculture represents just under 10% of total U.S. emissions when compared to other economic sectors… By EPA’s own methodology, emissions from agriculture totaled 634 million metric tons in CO2 equivalents, or 9.99% of all U.S. emissions, during 2022. This represents a decrease of 1.8%, or 12 million metric tons, from 2021… 2022 marks the lowest U.S. agricultural greenhouse gas emissions since 2012.”
“The latest numbers demonstrate farmers’ and ranchers’ commitment to growing the food and fiber America’s families rely on while improving the land, air and water, a benefit to the farm and the climate,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “The drop in agricultural emissions highlights the success and importance of voluntary and market-based programs that support farmer efforts in sustainable agriculture practices. The latest numbers should also serve as inspiration to lawmakers who can build on this progress by passing a Farm Bill, which not only provides a safety net for farmers, but also helps them meet sustainability goals.”
Market Intel noted other highlights specific to the agricultural sector: 12 million metric-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 2.1% reduction in livestock GHG emissions, 1.7% reduction in crop cultivation emissions, and 1.2% reduction in fuel combustion emissions.