Danish Agriculture & Food Council on climate
The Danish agriculture and food industry takes climate change very seriously and wishes to contribute with constructive and long term solutions. We will do this both as producers of climate and environmentally-efficient food, and as suppliers of bioenergy
Climate ranks high on the international agenda, because both human living conditions and nature are facing significant transformation due to climate change. At the same time, the growing world population is contributing to an increase in demand for food – while improved living standards have increased the demand for animal products.
Additionally, society faces the challenge of becoming independent of fossil energy and oil-based materials. This requires increased production of renewable energy, including bioenergy. As a result, we will see increased pressure on agriculture to supply more food and energy, while at the same time minimizing the impact on the environment and the climate.
The impact of climate change on world agriculture is significant. At the same time, agriculture is a central player in contributing to solutions on climate change and other world challenges. In order that this potential can be realized, agriculture must be included in any Copenhagen agreement on climate change.
Agriculture is very vulnerable to changes in climate. Nonetheless, most of the world’s population is engaged in the agricultural sector, which provides the essential services needed for life: These include food, feed, fibre, energy and ecosystem services. Farmers interact daily with the environment and are thus well-placed to implement sustainable agricultural practices that help adapt to and mitigate climate change, while at the same time benefiting rural and urban populations.
Globally, agriculture is responsible for 14-32 pct. of greenhouse gas emissions – and is thus an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock production and land use changes in particular constitute important sources of emissions. At the same time, however, there is a huge emission reduction potential from agriculture worldwide, with agriculture in developing countries having the biggest potential to reduce emissions by making production more efficient, and applying more sustainable practices.
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