Carbon footprints of rice production in five typical rice districts in China

Five provinces located in the five main rice-growing regions in China were selected as study areas, which were Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Sichuan, Guangdong and Hunan province respectively in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, northern, southwest, southern and central rice districts. Carbon footprints of rice production in these five provinces were calculated through the life cycle assessment method using governmental statistical data, industrial standards and relevant technical data separately. Material and energy consumptions were estimated, key stages of energy consumptions and carbon emissions were identified as well. Moreover, improving measurements had been suggested correspondingly. The results indicated that: the energy consumptions of rice production in these five provinces ranked as following (high to low): Guangdong, Heilongjiang, Hunan, Sichuan and Jiangsu. The carbon footprints of rice production were 2504.20 kg carbon dioxide equation per ton rice (kgCO₂-eq./t) (Guangdong province), 2326.47 kgCO₂-eq./t (Hunan province), 1889.97 kgCO₂-eq./t (Heilongjiang province), 1538.90 kgCO₂-eq./t (Sichuan province) and 1344.92 kgCO₂-eq./t (Jiangsu province) respectively. Reducing the quantities of urea and using the intermittent irrigation method could decrease energy consumption as well as carbon footprint.