Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018
The food system, spanning from pre-production processes to post-production stages, is responsible for about one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and requires significant mitigation efforts to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. This article summarises trends and drivers of global foo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acddfd |
| _version_ | 1797747314063835136 |
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| author | Nicola Cerutti William F Lamb Monica Crippa Adrian Leip Efisio Solazzo Francesco N Tubiello Jan C Minx |
| author_facet | Nicola Cerutti William F Lamb Monica Crippa Adrian Leip Efisio Solazzo Francesco N Tubiello Jan C Minx |
| author_sort | Nicola Cerutti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The food system, spanning from pre-production processes to post-production stages, is responsible for about one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and requires significant mitigation efforts to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. This article summarises trends and drivers of global food system emissions from 1990 to 2018. We highlight regional diversity in patterns of food system emissions and identify the highest global emitters. While food system emissions have stabilised in some regions and countries, global emissions are increasing, with growth in certain sectors and countries outweighing the handful of cases where sustained emissions reductions have been realised. Emissions from livestock rearing account for a large portion of global emissions, and the contribution of post-production emissions is steadily increasing in all regions. We also provide an overview of food system policies at the national level, mapping them to each emissions segment. This highlights the significant shortfall in policy activity required to address the challenge of climate change mitigation in general, and the impacts of livestock and post-production emissions in particular. Our work lays the groundwork for addressing specific country-level questions on optimal policy pathways to achieve emission reductions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:49:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7dc63f478158467b88d1f3801912c777 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:49:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-7dc63f478158467b88d1f3801912c7772023-08-09T15:17:57ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262023-01-0118707403010.1088/1748-9326/acddfdFood system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018Nicola Cerutti0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5016-9213William F Lamb1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3273-7878Monica Crippa2Adrian Leip3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7616-5029Efisio Solazzo4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6333-1101Francesco N Tubiello5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4617-4690Jan C Minx6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2862-0178Mercator Research Institute for Global Commons and Climate Change , Berlin, GermanyMercator Research Institute for Global Commons and Climate Change , Berlin, Germany; Priestley International Centre for Climate, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds , Leeds, United KingdomEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) , Ispra, ItalyEuropean Commission, DG Research & Innovation , Bruxelles, BelgiumUnisystems S.A. , Bertrange, LuxemburgStatistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations , Rome, ItalyMercator Research Institute for Global Commons and Climate Change , Berlin, Germany; Priestley International Centre for Climate, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds , Leeds, United KingdomThe food system, spanning from pre-production processes to post-production stages, is responsible for about one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and requires significant mitigation efforts to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. This article summarises trends and drivers of global food system emissions from 1990 to 2018. We highlight regional diversity in patterns of food system emissions and identify the highest global emitters. While food system emissions have stabilised in some regions and countries, global emissions are increasing, with growth in certain sectors and countries outweighing the handful of cases where sustained emissions reductions have been realised. Emissions from livestock rearing account for a large portion of global emissions, and the contribution of post-production emissions is steadily increasing in all regions. We also provide an overview of food system policies at the national level, mapping them to each emissions segment. This highlights the significant shortfall in policy activity required to address the challenge of climate change mitigation in general, and the impacts of livestock and post-production emissions in particular. Our work lays the groundwork for addressing specific country-level questions on optimal policy pathways to achieve emission reductions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acddfdfoodgreenhouse gas emissionsclimate changemitigationagriculturefood policy |
| spellingShingle | Nicola Cerutti William F Lamb Monica Crippa Adrian Leip Efisio Solazzo Francesco N Tubiello Jan C Minx Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018 Environmental Research Letters food greenhouse gas emissions climate change mitigation agriculture food policy |
| title | Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018 |
| title_full | Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018 |
| title_fullStr | Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018 |
| title_short | Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018 |
| title_sort | food system emissions a review of trends drivers and policy approaches 1990 2018 |
| topic | food greenhouse gas emissions climate change mitigation agriculture food policy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acddfd |
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