Leakage of nitrous oxide emissions within the Spanish agro-food system in 1961-2009

In this paper we examine the trends of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of the Spanish agricultural sector related to national production and consumption in the 1961-2009 period. The comparison between production-and consumption-based emissions at the national level provides a complete overview of the actual impact resulting from the dietary choices of a given country and allows the evaluation of potential emission leakages. On average, 1.5 % of the new reactive nitrogen that enters Spain every year is emitted as N2O. Production-and consumption-based emissions have both significantly increased in the period studied and nowadays consumption-based emissions are 45 % higher than production-based emissions. A large proportion of the net N2O emissions associated with imported agricultural goods comes from countries that are not committers for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Kyoto Protocol Annex I. An increase in feed consumption is the main driver of the changes observed, leading to a remarkable emission leakage in the Spanish agricultural sector. The complementary approach used here is essential to achieve an effective mitigation of Spanish greenhouse gas emissions.