Carbon Neutral Agriculture: Myth or reality?
This webinar hosted by the ATSE Agriculture & Food Forum explores agriculture and climate change.
Tuesday 18th May
12.00pm – 1.00pm AEST
Climate change mitigation and adaptation is a top priority for the Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) in 2021. All Australian state and territory governments have adopted a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as are the major multi-national agricultural supply chain companies. The global expectation is that food exporting nations – like Australia – will have to comply with these 2050 carbon neutral targets.
Agriculture, as a major GHG emitter, faces significant challenges in meeting these targets. Methane from ruminants is the major component of agricultural emissions, but currently “off the shelf” technologies to abate these emissions are limited. Although agriculture has capacity to offset its emissions through sequestration of carbon in soil and woody vegetation, the cost-effective measurement of these offsets is a significant challenge.
None-the-less, Australian agricultural industries are enthusiastically embracing the challenges. The National Farmers Federation set a net carbon neutral target for 2050. Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the industry body of Australia’s largest livestock industries and a substantial GHG emitter has adopted the aspirational target of net carbon neutrality by 2030.
This webinar, was the second in a series hosted by the ATSE Agricultural Forum. Dr Michele Allan, current Chair of Wine Australia and former Chair of MLA discussed the drivers for rural export industries to adopt these challenging carbon neutral 2050 targets. Professor Richard Eckard, Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre at Melbourne University then discussed the possible technological pathways for rural industries to achieve those carbon neutral 2050 targets.
An extensive Q&A session followed, moderated by Professor Snow Barlow, Chair of ATSE’s Agriculture and Food Forum and Dr Joanne Daly, the Forum’s Deputy-Chair.
This webinar is the second in a series hosted by the ATSE Agriculture & Food Forum that explores agriculture and climate change.
HOSTS
Professor Snow Barlow FTSE
Dr Joanne Daly FTSE
SPEAKERS
Dr Michele Allan FTSE
Professor Richard Eckard
Recording
59 minutes 55 seconds
Hosts
Emeritus Professor
Professor Barlow has made an outstanding contribution to Australian science and technology through leadership in universities, national R&D and policy bodies.
FTSE PSM
Dr Daly's research improved insecticide resistance management in the cotton industry, and she led the National Priorities Taskforce.
Speakers
Dr Michele Allan
Michele is currently Chair of the Boards of Apple and Pear Australia Limited, Charles Sturt University, the Food and Agribusiness growth Centre (FIAL), Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC and Wine Australia. She is a non-executive director of CSIRO, CRC Food Agility, Smart Sat CRC and Dairy Food Safety Victoria. She is also chairing the Modern Manufacturing Initiative Assessment Committee for the Translation and Integration streams
Her prior board roles include Meat and Livestock Australia, Grain Growers Limited, Tasmanian Irrigation, Innovation and Science Australia, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, Forest and Wood Products Australia, William Angliss Institute, Callaghan Innovation (NZ) and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. Michele held executive roles with Amcor Limited, Kraft Foods, Bonlac Foods Limited, ICI, Tasmanian Bioinformatics Centre of Excellence Tasmania, Johnson and Johnson and Nestle.
Michele has a Bachelor of Applied Science from University of Technology Sydney, Master of Management of Technology from Melbourne University, Master Commercial Law Deakin University and Doctorate from RMIT. As of 2021, she is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
Her prior board roles include Meat and Livestock Australia, Grain Growers Limited, Tasmanian Irrigation, Innovation and Science Australia, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, Forest and Wood Products Australia, William Angliss Institute, Callaghan Innovation (NZ) and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. Michele held executive roles with Amcor Limited, Kraft Foods, Bonlac Foods Limited, ICI, Tasmanian Bioinformatics Centre of Excellence Tasmania, Johnson and Johnson and Nestle.
Michele has a Bachelor of Applied Science from University of Technology Sydney, Master of Management of Technology from Melbourne University, Master Commercial Law Deakin University and Doctorate from RMIT. As of 2021, she is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
Professor Richard Eckard
Director, Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre, University of Melbourne
Director, Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre, University of Melbourne
Richard’s research focuses on carbon farming, managing extreme climate events and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate. Richard is a science advisor to the Australian, New Zealand, UK and EU governments, the International Livestock Research Institute and the UN FAO on climate change adaptation, mitigation and policy development in agriculture. Richard leads a network within the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses and is a member of the Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture international science committee. Richard was recently named on the Reuters list of the world’s 1,000 most influential climate scientists.
