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Climate Change Mitigation Strategies
The National Agriculture and Climate Change Action Plan provides the overarching framework for climate change policy for Australian governments and the agricultural sector. Mitigation is the second of the four strategies and actions in the Action Plan which focus on:
- reducing methane and nitrous oxide emissions and exploring further opportunities to promote improved efficiency (Refer to Action Plan Strategy 2.1
PDF [1.2mb]) - understanding opportunities to reduce energy use in agriculture (Refer to Action Plan Strategy 2.2 PDF [1.2mb])
- promoting cost effective alternatives to fossil fuel use in agriculture (Refer to Action Plan Strategy 2.3 PDF [1.2mb])
- enhancing biosequestration opportunities in agriculture (Refer to Action Plan Strategy 2.4 PDF [1.2mb])
- understanding the costs and benefits to agriculture of these actions (Refer to Action Plan Strategy 2.5 PDF [1.2mb]).
The Australian agricultural and land use sectors have already made a significant contribution towards Australia’s commitment to reduce its GHGs emissions to 108 per cent of 1990 levels by 2012, principally through reduced land clearing. The ‘Plantations for Australia: the 2020 Vision’, expansion of plantation forest area program has also contributed to achieving sequestration targets. Agricultural activity can influence the atmospheric level of three of the major GHGs - carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) - both as a source and a sink.
This dual role, unique to the agricultural and land use sectors, to mitigate GHG emissions has been the subject of intensive scientific study over the past several years. Scientific evidence suggests that agricultural and forestry practices focused on mitigating GHGs could also provide significant economic, environmental and social benefits (Australian Greenhouse Office 2005, Box 2).
This Action Plan provides strategies and actions that promote the mitigation of GHGs for multiple benefits to agriculture and natural resource management. This set of strategies is designed to inform policy and decision makers in government and industry, agricultural producers, potential investors, and the general public. Actions have been chosen to address all three major GHGs and to consider the potential tradeoffs and synergistic benefits in practices aimed at carbon sequestration and mitigation of N2O and CH4 emissions.
Publications on Climate Change Mitigation Strategies
- AGO publications catalogue - The Australian Greenhouse Office has numerous publications and other information dealing with all aspects of greenhouse mitigation and the science underpinning this issue.
- Climate Change in Rural and Regional Australia PDF [565kb] - Australian Greenhouse Office | 2005
- Australian Methodology for the Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks - 2003 - This inventory methodology workbook presents the Australian methodology to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and sinks from the Agriculture Sector.
- Australian Rice Growers - Meeting the Greenhouse Challenge
- Landcare Australia - Meeting the Greenhouse Challenge
- Greenhouse Gas Inventory fact sheets
- Plantations 2020 homepage
