Descrizione 1
Eleonora Di Cristofaro, Palomba Francesca
The indicator describes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CH₄, N₂O, CO₂) released into the atmosphere by the agricultural sector, mainly due to livestock management and fertilizer use. It allows for the assessment of the sector’s contribution to total national emissions and the achievement of emission reduction targets.
Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector have shown a decreasing trend; however, further mitigation measures will be necessary to meet the targets established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and relevant European directives.
Specifically, Italy’s target for 2030 under the Effort Sharing Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/857) is a -43.7% reduction in total GHG emissions from agriculture, buildings, transport, waste, and industrial installations not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS), compared to 2005 levels.
In 2022, GHG emissions from agriculture accounted for a relatively small share (11.2%) of total emissions from sectors covered by the Effort Sharing Regulation, while emissions from agriculture decreased by 12.2% compared to 2005.
Enteric fermentation due to the digestive process—particularly in ruminants—manure management, physical, chemical and biological processes occurring in agricultural soils, rice cultivation, and the burning of agricultural residues release two key greenhouse gases into the atmosphere: methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
The agricultural sector is also responsible for carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions resulting from the application of urea and lime to soils, as well as from the use of other carbon-containing fertilizers.
This indicator represents emissions of these agriculture-related greenhouse gases, calculated based on statistical activity data and emission factors, in accordance with the methodology developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2006).
CH₄ and N₂O emissions are converted into carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂ eq.) by multiplying the emissions of each gas by its respective Global Warming Potential (GWP), which is 265 for N₂O and 28 for CH₄.
To estimate national greenhouse gas emissions produced by the agricultural sector, in order to assess their trend and the achievement of reduction targets established by current legislation. The indicator is also useful for evaluating the contribution of agriculture to total national greenhouse gas emissions.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), ratified by Law No. 65 of 15/01/1994;
Kyoto Protocol (1997), ratified by Law No. 120 of 01/06/2002;
CIPE Resolution of 19/12/2002; Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol (2012);
Paris Agreement (2016);
European Regulation (1999/2018);
Effort Sharing Decision (406/2009/EC);
Effort Sharing Regulation (842/2018/EC);
Effort Sharing Regulation (2023/857/EC).
At the European level, the overall greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2020 were set by European Regulation (EU) No 525/2013, concerning the Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (MMR), which was repealed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action. This regulation sets out the institutions and procedures for achieving the Union's energy and climate targets, particularly the 2030 goals.
The European Union and its Member States, under the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, and subsequently the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol (2012) and the Paris Agreement (2016), committed to reducing their collective emissions by 20% by 2020 and by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
Considering total emissions from non-EU ETS sectors—which include agriculture, transport, residential and commercial buildings, waste, and industrial installations not covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme—the reduction target for Italy for 2020, set by the Effort Sharing Decision (406/2009/EC), was -13% compared to 2005 levels, and this target has been achieved.
The 2030 reduction target was subsequently increased from -33% to -43.7% under the Effort Sharing Regulation (2023/857/EC), which replaced the previous Regulation (EU) 2018/842. The updated national targets of Member States reflect the revised EU-wide climate objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and the increase in the Effort Sharing sectors' collective target from 30% to 40% compared to 2005 levels.
To support the achievement of the 2030 energy and climate objectives, the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) prepared a draft of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) in June 2023. The final version is to be submitted to the European Commission by 30 June 2024.
Descrizione 2
- AA.VV., 2021. Strategia italiana di lungo termine sulla riduzione delle emissioni dei gas a effetto serra. https://www.mase.gov.it/sites/default/files/lts_gennaio_2021.pdf
- CE, 2020. Raccomandazioni della Commissione per il piano strategico della PAC dell’Italia SDW (2020) 396 final. https://www.reterurale.it/PAC_2023_27/PianoStrategicoNazionale
- Cóndor R.D., Di Cristofaro E., De Lauretis R., 2008. Agricoltura: inventario nazionale delle emissioni e disaggregazione provinciale. Istituto superiore per la protezione e la ricerca ambientale. Rapporto ISPRA 85/2008. Roma, Italia. URL: https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/pubblicazioni/rapporti/agricoltura-inventario-nazionale-delle-emissioni-e
- Cóndor R.D., 2011. Agricoltura: emissioni nazionali in atmosfera dal 1990 al 2009. Rapporto ISPRA 140/2011. Roma, Italia. URL: https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/pubblicazioni/rapporti/agricoltura-emissioni-nazionali-in-atmosfera-dal
- IPCC, 2006. 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Prepared by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, Eggleston H.S., Buendia L., Miwa K., Ngara T. and Tanabe K. (eds). Published: IGES, Japan. URL: https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol4.html
- ISPRA, 2024 [a]. Italian Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2022. National Inventory Report 2024. Rapporto ISPRA 398/2024. URL: https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/
- ISPRA, 2024 [b]. Serie storiche delle emissioni di gas serra 1990-2022. URL: https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/
- ISPRA, 2024 [c]. Le emissioni di gas serra in Italia: obiettivi di riduzione al 2030 Rapporto ISPRA 399/2024. URL: https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/files2024/pubblicazioni/rapporti/rapporto-399-24-le-emissioni-di-gas-serra-in-italia.pdf
- ISTAT, 2024. Dati annuali sulla consistenza del bestiame, sulla produzione di latte, sui mezzi di produzione, sulle coltivazioni. Istituto Nazionale di Statistica. URL: http://dati.istat.it/
Qualificazione dati
ISPRA, Inventario delle emissioni in atmosfera (http://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/)
Italy
1990-2022
Qualificazione indicatore
The indicator represents the estimate of national greenhouse gas emissions produced by the agricultural sector (Cóndor et al., 2008; Cóndor, 2011), developed in accordance with the methodology described in the IPCC Guidelines (IPCC, 2006).
Emissions from the agricultural sector refer to the following source categories: enteric fermentation, manure management, rice cultivation, agricultural soils, burning of agricultural residues, application of urea and lime to soils, and the use of other carbon-containing fertilizers.
The estimation of emissions is carried out as part of the preparation of the national atmospheric emissions inventory, using appropriate emission factors and/or estimation models. Greenhouse gas emissions are then converted into carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂ eq.) by multiplying the emissions of each greenhouse gas by its respective Global Warming Potential (GWP).
The National Inventory Report (NIR) (ISPRA, 2024 [a]) describes the estimation methodology and the data used. It includes emission data, trend analysis, key emission categories, data quality assurance and control activities, and planned improvements to estimation methods.
Each year, the emission data (ISPRA, 2024 [b]), reported through the Common Reporting Format (CRF) and the NIR, are submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat.
The 2030 reduction target set by the Effort Sharing Regulation (2023/857/EC) for Italy is a -43.7% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture, residential, transport, waste, and non-EU ETS industrial sectors, compared to 2005 levels.
In 2022, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture amounted to 30.8 Mt CO₂ eq., accounting for 11.2% of total emissions from the Effort Sharing sectors (see indicator "Greenhouse gas emissions in ETS and ESD sectors"). Compared to 2005, the reduction in emissions from the agricultural sector alone was -12.2%.
In 2022, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture represented 7.4% of total national greenhouse gas emissions (Table 1).
The breakdown by gas shows that 67.7% of emissions came from methane, 31.5% from nitrous oxide, and only 0.8% from carbon dioxide (Figure 2).
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in 2022 compared to 1990 was 18.9%, decreasing from 38.0 Mt CO₂ eq. in 1990 to 30.8 Mt CO₂ eq. in 2022.
Analyzing the change by greenhouse gas, emissions of CH₄, N₂O, and CO₂ decreased by 15.4%, 24.3%, and 53.9%, respectively (Table 1). Examining the variation by emission category, emissions from enteric fermentation (CH₄) and manure management (CH₄ and N₂O) decreased by 15.2% and 18.0%, respectively. Emissions from rice cultivation (CH₄) and agricultural soils (N₂O) showed a reduction of 26.4% and 22.5%, respectively (Figure 1).
This trend is mainly due to the reduction in the number of livestock for certain animal species, the decreased use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, and the reduction of agricultural land and production.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), particularly through measures involving direct payments to farmers and market interventions, has played a significant role in reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the milk quota system limited milk production, leading to a reduction in livestock numbers and an increase in productivity per animal.
An additional boost came from the implementation of the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs), which addressed the four challenges outlined in the CAP Health Check: climate change, renewable energy, water resource management, and biodiversity. Most RDPs prioritized specific measures to support actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to assessments of all RDPs, the main contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (especially nitrous oxide) is likely to come from reducing nitrogen surplus.
With the 2013 CAP reform, environmental sustainability was further emphasized through the introduction of the Greening payment, under which 30% of the national allocation for direct payments to farmers is conditional upon adherence to certain sustainable agricultural practices.
Moreover, at least 30% of EU rural development funds must be allocated to specific measures supporting sustainable land management and climate change mitigation.
The overall direction of the post-2020 CAP reform aims at greater climate and environmental ambition, with the goal of contributing to the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
According to European Regulation 2021/2115, adopted within the framework of the 2023–2027 CAP implementation, Member States are required to draw up a National Strategic Plan, outlining the interventions and estimated costs to achieve nine specific objectives and one cross-cutting objective of the future CAP (EC, 2020).
Dati
Table 1: Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by type of greenhouse gas
ISPRA
Figure 1: Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by source
ISPRA
Figure 2: Breakdown of emissions from agriculture by type of greenhouse gas and corresponding emission source (2022)
ISPRA
In 2022, agriculture accounted for 7.4% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, expressed in CO₂ equivalents, making it the second largest source of GHG emissions after the energy sector (81.8%).
In 2022, GHG emissions from agriculture decreased by 6.4% compared to the previous year. An analysis by GHG type and corresponding emission source shows that enteric fermentation (which results in CH₄ emissions) accounted for 47.1%, agricultural soils (N₂O) for 25.9%, and manure management (CH₄ and N₂O) for 21.2%, of which 15.6% is from CH₄ and 5.6% from N₂O. Rice cultivation (CH₄) contributed 5%, application of urea, lime, and other carbon-containing fertilizers (CO₂) contributed 0.8%, and burning of agricultural residues (N₂O and CH₄) accounted for 0.03% (Figure 2).
Methane (CH₄) emissions are mainly due to animal digestion processes, in particular enteric fermentation (69.5%), manure treatment and storage (23.0%), rice cultivation (7.4%), and burning of agricultural residues (0.04%).
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions originate from manure management (17.8%) and agricultural soils (including emissions from the application of synthetic and organic fertilizers, incorporation of crop residues, and emissions from organic soils), which altogether account for 82.2% of total N₂O emissions, with an additional 0.02% from the burning of agricultural residues.
Overall, the livestock sector contributes approximately 79.3% of total agricultural emissions.
The significant reduction in N₂O and CO₂ emissions in 2022 compared to 1990 is mainly attributed to the decline in synthetic fertilizer use, based on data from ISTAT. These data refer to quantities sold nationally, which are assumed to be applied to agricultural soils. According to Assofertilizzanti-Federchimica, fertilizer sales in 2022 were below the annual average (for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) following a two-year period (2020–2021) of increased purchases. The decline reflects a year in which high market prices led operators to postpone purchases in anticipation of a price drop, which actually occurred in 2023.