A new research project pursues a comprehensive understanding of the climate impact of food production and agriculture. Led by the University of Helsinki, the project will investigate direct greenhouse gas emissions and climate-cooling aerosols. It has received €2 million in funding from Business Finland and partners.
As the climate impact of food production is significant, it is important to achieve climate neutrality in agriculture and the food industry. While the climate impact of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture is better established, the contribution of atmospheric particles, or aerosols, to the total climate impact of agriculture remains less clear.
Aerosols originate both naturally and from human activity. They cool the climate by influencing the formation and properties of clouds and further the solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface. In other words, aerosols offset part of the warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the processes behind aerosol formation and their intricate interactions remain shrouded in uncertainty.
“This uncertainty means that the total contribution of agriculture to climate warming is likely to have been overestimated. Assessments of the climate impact of agriculture must consider both greenhouse gases and aerosols,” says the project leader, Academician Markku Kulmala of the University of Helsinki’s Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR).
Reviewing the total impact of crops and livestock
Coordinated by the University of Helsinki, the three-year research project ‘Towards climate positive agriculture’ (CARBON+) will be launched in January 2025. It will shed light on the formation of climate-cooling aerosols in agriculture and strive to identify the total climate impact of crops and livestock.
“By obtaining measurements of aerosol particle formation in agriculture and combining them with greenhouse gas data, we can understand the climate impact of food production in more detail,” says Associate Professor Anna Lintunen of INAR, who heads one of the work packages included in the project.
“The research project seeks to promote climate neutrality in agriculture and the food industry, which will help mitigate climate change and increase the export value of the Finnish food industry,” notes Development Manager Virpi Kling of Valio.
With €1.2 million in research funding obtained from Business Finland and additional support from collaboration partners, CARBON+ has raised a total of €2 million. It is part of Valio’s Food 2.0 project for creating a future food system based on circular economy. Industry partners for CARBON+ include the food companies Atria, HK Foods and Fazer, the technology companies Gasmet, Airmodus, MegaSense and Airel, as well as Climate Analytics Finland. Research partners in this project headed by the University of Helsinki include the Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.