MrsElizabeth Fonseca
Research Assistant
Centre for Environmental Policy - Faculty of Natural Sciences
Orcid identifier0000-0001-8159-1372 (opens in a new tab)
- Research AssistantCentre for Environmental Policy - Faculty of Natural Sciences
- 307, Weeks Building, South Kensington Campus, United Kingdom
RESEARCH
Overview
Animal agriculture is one of the major sources of health and biodiversity-impacting ammonia emissions as well as the climate-changing greenhouse gasses: nitrous oxide and methane. Changes to agriculture and other land use practices and policies are needed to tackle these health and environmental crises. Reducing meat and dairy consumption has been identified by the Climate Change Committee and the United Nations Environment Programme as the most impactful mitigation measure to tackling agricultural pollution and consumer studies show a significant increase in plant based alternatives to animal products in recent years. Large reductions in animal based foods and increases in plant based foods are also in line with UK dietary health related recommendations. In order to enable these emissions reductions and dietary changes whilst also ensuring food security, - policies and incentives to support farmers and land owners are needed. In regards to ecosystem protection and air quality, the spatial distribution of mitigation measures is an important consideration. This research will develop land use and agricultural scenarios, testing spatial variations, and modelling the impacts on emissions, pollution concentrations and deposition in order to inform policy development.
Animal agriculture is one of the major sources of health and biodiversity-impacting ammonia emissions as well as the climate-changing greenhouse gasses: nitrous oxide and methane. Changes to agriculture and other land use practices and policies are needed to tackle these health and environmental crises. Reducing meat and dairy consumption has been identified by the Climate Change Committee and the United Nations Environment Programme as the most impactful mitigation measure to tackling agricultural pollution and consumer studies show a significant increase in plant based alternatives to animal products in recent years. Large reductions in animal based foods and increases in plant based foods are also in line with UK dietary health related recommendations. In order to enable these emissions reductions and dietary changes whilst also ensuring food security, - policies and incentives to support farmers and land owners are needed. In regards to ecosystem protection and air quality, the spatial distribution of mitigation measures is an important consideration. This research will develop land use and agricultural scenarios, testing spatial variations, and modelling the impacts on emissions, pollution concentrations and deposition in order to inform policy development.