Study on Mechanisms Underlying Changes in Agricultural Carbon Emissions: A Case in Jilin Province, China, 1998–2018

Reducing agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) is a key point to achieve green and sustainable development in agriculture. Based on the ACE statistics of Jilin Province in China from 1998 to 2018, this article considers the sources of ACE in depth, and fourteen different carbon sources are selected to calculate ACE. Besides, the paper explores the variation characteristics of ACE in Jilin Province, their structure, and the relationship between the intensity and density of the dynamic changes in ACE in the province in terms of time. Finally, this paper uses the Kaya identity and logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) to analyze the influential factors in ACE. The results show the following: (1) During 1998–2018, the amount of ACE in Jilin Province increased, with an average annual growth rate of 1.13%. However, the chain growth rate has been negative in recent years, which reflects that carbon emission reduction has been achieved to a certain extent. (2) The characteristics of ACE in Jilin Province during the years is that of the low-intensity, high density category. Furthermore, agricultural resource input is the main source of the planting industry’s carbon emissions. From the perspective of animal husbandry, the proportion of CH(4) decreased, while the proportion of N(2)O is relatively stable. (3) Based on the LMDI decomposition model, production efficiency, industrial structure, and labor are the three main factors that reduce ACE in Jilin Province. The economic level is the main factor of ACE, and it will be the most important factor leading to an increase in ACE in the short term. On the basis of comprehensive analysis, this article puts forward reasonable suggestions in terms of policy improvement, production mode and industrial structure adjustment, technological innovation, and talent introduction.