Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity

Mitigation of climate change remains a central focus of the European Union (EU). Under its 2030 Climate Target Plan, the European Commission proposes to raise the EU's ambition in this area, targeting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of at least 55 % below 1990 levels by 2030. In I...

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Main Authors: Oyinlola Rafiat Ogunpaimo, Cathal Buckley, Stephen Hynes, Stephen O'Neill
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Environmental Challenges
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024002361
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author Oyinlola Rafiat Ogunpaimo
Cathal Buckley
Stephen Hynes
Stephen O'Neill
author_facet Oyinlola Rafiat Ogunpaimo
Cathal Buckley
Stephen Hynes
Stephen O'Neill
author_sort Oyinlola Rafiat Ogunpaimo
collection DOAJ
description Mitigation of climate change remains a central focus of the European Union (EU). Under its 2030 Climate Target Plan, the European Commission proposes to raise the EU's ambition in this area, targeting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of at least 55 % below 1990 levels by 2030. In Ireland, the proportion of GHG emissions from the agricultural sector is high compared to other developed countries, contributing 38.1 % of total economy-wide GHG emissions. The extent to which mitigation measures reduce GHG emissions at the farm level has received limited attention, especially the implications of farm-level heterogeneity on the optimal policy design for emission reduction. Using EU Farm Accountancy Data Network data for the Republic of Ireland in 2020, this study uses Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) analysis to assess a suite of GHG mitigation measures and accounts for interaction and heterogeneous effects across five different farm system types. The result of the study shows that reducing crude protein in animal diets is the most cost-effective measure for all farm systems. Liming and substitution to protected urea fertilisers are also cost-effective measures for all farm systems. However, some measures fluctuate between cost-intensive and cost-saving depending on the farm system type. The findings show that no two farm-level MACC curves are the same, thus farm heterogeneity needs to be accounted for efficient policy design.
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spelling doaj-art-ee9894fd896547caaaebd0c2cf83037b2025-08-20T01:57:40ZengElsevierEnvironmental Challenges2667-01002025-04-011810107010.1016/j.envc.2024.101070Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneityOyinlola Rafiat Ogunpaimo0Cathal Buckley1Stephen Hynes2Stephen O'Neill3School of Business and Economics, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland; Agricultural Economics & Farm Survey Department, Rural Economy & Development Programme, Teagasc, Mellows Campus, Athenry, Galway, Ireland; Corresponding author.Agricultural Economics & Farm Survey Department, Rural Economy & Development Programme, Teagasc, Mellows Campus, Athenry, Galway, IrelandSchool of Business and Economics, University of Galway, Galway, IrelandDepartment of Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London, United KingdomMitigation of climate change remains a central focus of the European Union (EU). Under its 2030 Climate Target Plan, the European Commission proposes to raise the EU's ambition in this area, targeting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of at least 55 % below 1990 levels by 2030. In Ireland, the proportion of GHG emissions from the agricultural sector is high compared to other developed countries, contributing 38.1 % of total economy-wide GHG emissions. The extent to which mitigation measures reduce GHG emissions at the farm level has received limited attention, especially the implications of farm-level heterogeneity on the optimal policy design for emission reduction. Using EU Farm Accountancy Data Network data for the Republic of Ireland in 2020, this study uses Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) analysis to assess a suite of GHG mitigation measures and accounts for interaction and heterogeneous effects across five different farm system types. The result of the study shows that reducing crude protein in animal diets is the most cost-effective measure for all farm systems. Liming and substitution to protected urea fertilisers are also cost-effective measures for all farm systems. However, some measures fluctuate between cost-intensive and cost-saving depending on the farm system type. The findings show that no two farm-level MACC curves are the same, thus farm heterogeneity needs to be accounted for efficient policy design.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024002361Climate changeMitigationGHGFarm-levelHeterogeneity
spellingShingle Oyinlola Rafiat Ogunpaimo
Cathal Buckley
Stephen Hynes
Stephen O'Neill
Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
Environmental Challenges
Climate change
Mitigation
GHG
Farm-level
Heterogeneity
title Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
title_full Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
title_fullStr Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
title_full_unstemmed Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
title_short Farm-level greenhouse gas mitigation: Understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
title_sort farm level greenhouse gas mitigation understanding the effect of interactions and heterogeneity
topic Climate change
Mitigation
GHG
Farm-level
Heterogeneity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024002361
work_keys_str_mv AT oyinlolarafiatogunpaimo farmlevelgreenhousegasmitigationunderstandingtheeffectofinteractionsandheterogeneity
AT cathalbuckley farmlevelgreenhousegasmitigationunderstandingtheeffectofinteractionsandheterogeneity
AT stephenhynes farmlevelgreenhousegasmitigationunderstandingtheeffectofinteractionsandheterogeneity
AT stephenoneill farmlevelgreenhousegasmitigationunderstandingtheeffectofinteractionsandheterogeneity