Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review - Boulder County

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1.3 Agricultural Impacts to the Atmospheric Climate
Agriculture in Colorado contributes about nine percent of the State’s total greenhouse
gas emissions, compared to a national average of about seven percent. 48 While
agriculture in Colorado is a major contributor to GHG emissions, its impact in Boulder
County is very low, representing only one to two percent of emissions (including
methane emissions, manure management, and soil management) according to the latest
Boulder County, Colorado Greenhouse Gas Inventory. 49 Additionally, the impact of
agriculture on GHG emissions is not expected to increase significantly over the next few
years as source emissions for soil management, manure management, and enteric
fermentation are expected to remain near current levels. 50
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Graph 2: Boulder County GHG Emissions by Sector, 1990-2012 51
Boulder County has committed to reducing its carbon footprint and energy use as well as
implementing sustainable forms of energy to run its daily operations. One example of
this commitment is that, as reported by Boulder Weekly, Boulder County has set a goal
to reduce total GHG emissions 11 percent below 1990 levels, by 2020.” 52 Compared to
other emission sectors, notably commercial, residential and industrial, agricultural GHG
emissions are significantly lower in the County. Despite the low overall percentage of
GHG emissions represented by agriculture in the County, a reduction of four percent in
agricultural emissions will be required for the county to meet its GHG reduction goals. 53
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