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Reducing emissions from agriculture to meet the 2 °C target
Author(s) -
Wollenberg Eva,
Richards Meryl,
Smith Pete,
Havlík Petr,
Obersteiner Michael,
Tubiello Francesco N.,
Herold Martin,
Gerber Pierre,
Carter Sarah,
Reisinger Andrew,
Vuuren Detlef P.,
Dickie Amy,
Neufeldt Henry,
Sander Björn O.,
Wassmann Reiner,
Sommer Rolf,
Amonette James E.,
Falcucci Alessandra,
Herrero Mario,
Opio Carolyn,
RomanCuesta Rosa Maria,
Stehfest Elke,
Westhoek Henk,
OrtizMonasterio Ivan,
Sapkota Tek,
Rufino Mariana C.,
Thornton Philip K.,
Verchot Louis,
West Paul C.,
Soussana JeanFrançois,
Baedeker Tobias,
Sadler Marc,
Vermeulen Sonja,
Campbell Bruce M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.13340
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , agriculture , climate change mitigation , natural resource economics , united nations framework convention on climate change , climate change , environmental science , business , environmental resource management , environmental protection , environmental planning , economics , kyoto protocol , geography , ecology , biology , archaeology
More than 100 countries pledged to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions in the 2015 Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Yet technical information about how much mitigation is needed in the sector vs. how much is feasible remains poor. We identify a preliminary global target for reducing emissions from agriculture of ~1 Gt CO 2 e yr −1 by 2030 to limit warming in 2100 to 2 °C above pre‐industrial levels. Yet plausible agricultural development pathways with mitigation cobenefits deliver only 21–40% of needed mitigation. The target indicates that more transformative technical and policy options will be needed, such as methane inhibitors and finance for new practices. A more comprehensive target for the 2 °C limit should be developed to include soil carbon and agriculture‐related mitigation options. Excluding agricultural emissions from mitigation targets and plans will increase the cost of mitigation in other sectors or reduce the feasibility of meeting the 2 °C limit.