Zuo, C, Wen, C orcid.org/0000-0003-3546-9813, Clarke, G et al. (4 more authors) (2023) Cropland displacement contributed 60% of the increase in carbon emissions of grain transport in China over 1990–2015. Nature Food, 4. pp. 223-235. ISSN 2662-1355
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and population growth have increased the need for grain transportation in China, as more grain is being consumed and croplands have been moved away from cities. Increased grain transportation has, in turn, led to higher energy consumption and carbon emissions. Here we undertook a model-based approach to estimate the carbon emissions associated with grain transportation in the country between 1990 and 2015. We found that emissions more than tripled, from 5.68 million tons of CO₂ emission equivalent in 1990 to 17.69 million tons in 2015. Grain production displacement contributed more than 60% of the increase in carbon emissions associated with grain transport over the study period, whereas changes in grain consumption and population growth contributed 31.7% and 16.6%, respectively. Infrastructure development, such as newly built highways and railways in western China, helped offset 0.54 million tons of CO₂ emission equivalent from grain transport. These findings shed light on the life cycle environmental impact within food supply chains.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2023. This is an author produced version of an article published in Nature Food. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Centre for Spatial Analysis & Policy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Mar 2023 08:59 |
Last Modified: | 23 Aug 2023 00:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s43016-023-00708-x |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:197375 |