The relationship between agriculture and climate change is two-sided. Agriculture is the branch of the economy most affected by the ongoing processes. It is also a large emitter of greenhouse gases and there are more and more voices about the need to reduce emissions. The purpose of the study was, based on FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) data, to determine the structure of greenhouse gas emissions in farms and to identify types of farms where it is possible to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through better energy use. The emission volume was determined on the basis of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) methodology modified for the FADN data. The emissions related to the production of energy were found to be of minor importance compared to other emission sources. Only in the horticultural crop type is the emission from the Energy section the dominant stream of GHG emission. The greatest emissions come from livestock production. Therefore, the emphasis on reducing emissions should not be placed on the Energy sector because, except for the type of horticultural farm, there is not much potential for reduction. The introduction of taxes for GHG emissions at the level of 27.31 EUR/t would reduce farm income from 21% for the type of field crops to 40% for the type of herbivorous animals. The exception is low-emission permanent crops, where the decrease in income would be only 3.85%.

Renewable energy production is gaining importance in the context of global climate changes. However, in some countries other aspects increasing the role of renewable energy production are also present. Such a country is Ukraine, which is not self-sufficient in energy supply and whose dependency on poorly diversified import of energy carriers regularly leads to political tensions and has socio-economic implications. Production of agricultural biogas seems to be a way to both slow down climatic changes and increase energy self-sufficiency by replacing or complementing conventional sources of energy. One of the most substantial barriers to agricultural biogas production is the low level of agricultural concentration and significant economies of scale in constructing biogas plants. The aim of the paper was thus to assess the potential of agricultural biogas production in Ukraine, including its impact on energy self-sufficiency, mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the economic performance of biogas plants. The results show that due to the prevailing fragmentation of farms, most manure cannot be processed in an economically viable way. However, in some regions utilization of technically available manure for agricultural biogas production could cover up to 11% of natural gas or up to 19% of electricity demand. While the theoretical potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions could reach 5% to 6.14%, the achievable technical potential varies between 2.3% and 2.8% of total emissions. The economic performance of agricultural biogas plants correlates closely with their size and bioenergy generation potential.

Evaluating the competitiveness of electricity is the most important issue. The main aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of renewable energy production in the European Union (EU) using the levelized cost competitiveness of renewable energy sources. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for onshore wind was calculated for European (EU) countries. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) approach was used to evaluate the energy costs of renewable energy sources. Energy production costs were compared across different technologies. The capital expenditures associated with solar PV are expected to decrease from USD 810/kW in 2021 to USD 360/kW in 2050. The power factor will remain stable at 14% during the analyzed period. Fuel, CO₂, and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs will be maintained at USD 10/MWh at all three time points of the analysis (2021, 2030, and 2050), whereas the LCOE will decrease from USD 50/MWh in 2021 to USD 25/MWh in 2050. The capital expenditures associated with onshore wind energy will decrease from USD 1590/kW in 2021 to USD 1410/kW in 2050. The power factor will increase from 29% to 30%, and fuel, CO₂, and O&M costs will reach USD 15/MWh in all three years. The LCOE will decrease from USD 55/MWh in 2021 to USD 45/MWh in 2050. In offshore wind projects, capital expenditures are expected to decrease considerably from USD 3040/kW in 2021 to USD 1320/kW in 2050.

The purpose of this article is to reveal the peculiarities of the agrarian sector deregulation mechanisms in the conditions of the legal regime of martial law and the reasons for the vulnerability of the food security of the country and the world. The process of the agrarian sector deregulation in the period of the legal regime of martial law is clarified with regard to: (a) land matters; (b) taxation; (c) crediting; (d) material and technical support; (e) social and labor relations; and (f) state order. The elements of scientific novelty consist in the introduction of a systematic approach to the generalization of the extraordinary approaches to the process of agrarian sector deregulation during the legal regime of martial law. It is proposed to review the previously adopted documents of a strategic nature regarding the sustainable development of the agrarian sector of Ukraine and to change the mechanisms of the global food crisis fight radically by specially authorized international organizations. The experience of agrarian sector deregulation in the conditions of the legal regime of martial law can be taken into account by the state institutions when reviewing previously adopted documents and during the development of strategic plans for the restoration of the work of commodity producers, guaranteeing the food security of the population and taking into account the internal threats and the long-term external aggression of Russia against Ukraine.

In Poland, rapeseed production has been the fastest growing branch of plant production since 2000. Rapeseed yields have increased 2.5 times in the last 20 years. The main reason for this trend was the implementation of obligations resulting from legal acts by Member States relating to increasing the share of RES in the structure of primary energy production, and in particular relating to the share of biofuels in fuels used in transport. In Poland in the years 2010–2020, about 1.0–1.6 million tonnes of rape seeds were used for this purpose annually. Due to the fact that biofuel production competes for raw materials with the food economy, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, many representatives of various circles intensified their voices, calling for withdrawal from the policy supporting the biofuel sector, which may have resulted in a decrease in oilseed plant cultivation areas. As a result of the research conducted here, it was determined that the place of oilseed rape in the sowing structure will be taken by rye, triticale and, on good soils, by wheat. Compared to rape, their production is characterised by lower income per 1 ha; in the years 2013–2019, these differences amounted to: wheat—8 EUR, triticale—102.3 EUR, and rye—168 EUR. This situation will deteriorate the value cereal cultivation sites and will result in a decrease in their yields. On the basis of the conducted research, the estimated value of rape as a forecrop for wheat, triticale, and rye was, respectively: 103.7; 64.6 and 46.7 EUR. An additional advantage of oilseed rape is that it is an excellent bee resource and is classified as a commodity crop, i.e., one from which significant amounts of honey can be obtained, with a net value of EUR 55 per hectare. In addition, in many agricultural holdings, as a result of forecasted changes in plant production, there will be an accumulation of field work during the harvest period, which will also affect the worse use of machinery and storage areas. The consequence of increasing the area under which cereal crops and their supply can grow may be the decline in production profitability and thus the income situation of farms, but this will be assessed at the next stage of research.

The main objective of this study was to identify the status and development opportunities and evaluate the economic viability of investments in large-scale photovoltaic installations in Southeastern Poland. The primary data sources used in the study were empirical materials from all photovoltaic installations implemented with support from the Regional Operational Program of the Lublin Voivodeship (ROP WL) for 2007–2013 (31 projects). The following indices were used to evaluate the economic efficiency of the investments studied: rate of return on investment (ROI), simple payback period (SPP), net present value of investment (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), discounted payback period (DPBT), and averaged unit cost of electricity generation (LCOE). They were carried out for three scenarios–baseline, conservative, and optimistic–in two variants, for actual capital expenditures considering financial support used and without subsidies. It was determined that the expected lifetime of the studied investments would be 25 years. The sensitivity analysis shows that, regardless of the adopted scenario, investments in solar thermal power with the level of support that took place under the 2007–2013 financial perspective were reasonable long-term investments. In the least favorable scenario (conservative) included in the analysis, the discounted payback period ranged from 8.1 to 22 years. In the optimistic scenario, DPBT values ranged from 5.6 years to more than 15 years. The payback period (both simple and discounted) for investments with the subsidy was, on average, almost twice as fast as for investments without the subsidy, while the average unit cost of electricity generation with the subsidy was about 30% lower than without it.