CPRG - Agriculture and Natural and Working Lands Sector Infographic
Agriculture: Livestock and crop production, including the application of fertilizer to soils, are the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. In 2022, agricultural activities were responsible for 9.4% of total U.S. GHG emissions.
Natural and Working Lands: The land use, land-use change, and forestry sector removes more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere than it emits, i.e., removing the equivalent of nearly 15% of total GHG emissions in 2022. While CO2 from the atmosphere is stored in plant biomass and soils, GHGs are emitted from land-use conversion and agricultural land management, wetlands and disturbances such as fires.
View or download the CPRG Sector Infographic - Agriculture and Natural Working Lands (pdf)
Ways to Reduce GHG Emissions from the Agriculture and Natural and Working Lands Sector
Below are some examples of ways states, local governments, Tribes and territories can reduce GHG emissions from the Agriculture and Natural and Working Lands sector:
- Improve nutrient, residue, soil and water management, and reduce fossil fuel use for agriculture production.
- Enhance manure management practices to reduce methane emissions.
- Improve forest management by extending timber harvest rotations and thinning diseased and suppressed trees.
- Convert land to forest to increase CO2 sequestration and storage through tree growth.
Benefits to the Public
- Improved air and water quality
- Improved land productivity
- Reduced use of fossil-based inputs
- Cost effective GHG mitigation potential
About CPRG
Authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program provides nearly $5 billion in grants for states, local governments, Tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution and benefit low income and disadvantaged communities.
More Information
- Learn more by visiting Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential in the U.S. Forestry and Agriculture Sector and Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.
- Discover ways states, local governments, Tribes and territories can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in other sectors.