(Jeju=Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Ji-hye = It has been found that greenhouse gases emitted in the agricultural sector in Jeju are mostly composed of methane and nitrous oxide.
According to the Jeju Agricultural Technology Institute on the 3rd, the analysis of the greenhouse gas inventory in the Jeju agricultural sector showed that as of 2023, the greenhouse gas composition in the Jeju agricultural sector was 58% methane, 41% nitrous oxide, and 1% carbon dioxide.
In particular, the methane proportion increased from 39% in 1990 to 48% in 2000, 59% in 2018, and 58% in 2023. This increase is analyzed to be due to factors such as fermentation in livestock intestines and livestock manure treatment.
The sectoral distribution was 27% for crop cultivation and 73% for livestock farming.
The total greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector, converted to carbon dioxide equivalent, were 390,000 tons in 2023, an increase of 0.8% from 387,000 tons in 2022. The main cause is analyzed to be the increase in the number of livestock raised.
In the cultivation sector, the largest amount of nitrous oxide emissions came from agricultural soil. The main causes are pointed to the structure of Jeju agriculture, which is centered on field crops, and the increase in nitrogen fertilizer input. The agricultural technology institute explained that the development and dissemination of nitrogen fertilizer reduction technology on-site is a key task for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
A greenhouse gas inventory is a statistical data set that systematically investigates and compiles the amount of greenhouse gases emitted or absorbed by major emission sources over a certain period of time by countries, regions, and institutions.
Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated by combining emission source statistics, such as fertilizer usage and livestock numbers, with emission factors.