Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System, World Bank Report

Context

A new World Bank report, Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System has been released.

Key Highlights from the Report World Bank Report On Agrifood System

Emission Reduction Potential in the Global Agrifood System: The global agrifood system offers an opportunity to reduce nearly one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). This can be done through accessible and affordable measures, while ensuring the continued sustenance of a growing population. The report outlines actions that every country can take. These measures enhance food security and help the food system better withstand climate change, and protect vulnerable people during this transition.

• Leveraging the Agrifood System for Climate Change Solution: The agrifood system is a huge, untapped source of low-cost climate change action. 
  • Unlike other sectors, it can have an outsized impact on climate change by reducing emissions and drawing carbon naturally from the atmosphere.
• Investment Imperative for Agrifood Emission Reductions: The benefits of investing in reducing agrifood emissions outweigh the costs. 
  • Annual investments must rise to $260 billion by 2030 to halve agrifood emissions and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. 
  • Currently, twice the amount is spent annually on agricultural subsidies which have negative environmental impacts.
  • Investing in these initiatives would result in benefits of over $4 trillion with enhancements in human health, food and nutrition security, increased job quality and profits for farmers, and heightened carbon retention in forests and soils.

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Challenges Posed by Agrifood Systems

• GHG Emissions: Agrifood generates almost a third of GHG emissions, averaging around 16 gigatons annually. 
  • This is about one-sixth more than all of the world’s heat and electricity emissions.
• Pollution From Developing Countries: Three-quarters of agrifood emissions come from developing countries, including two-thirds from middle-income countries. 
• Financing Gap: There is insufficient investment in cutting agrifood emissions, and agrifood lags other sectors in financing for climate action. 
  • Finance for reducing or removing emissions in the agrifood system remains low at 2.4 percent of total mitigation finance.

Actions Suggested by the World Bank Report

• High-income countries can lead the way: This can be done by giving more support to low- and middle-income countries so they can adopt low-emission farming methods and technologies. 
  • This includes technical assistance for forest conservation programs that generate high-integrity carbon credits. 
  • They can also shift subsidies away from high-emitting food sources. This would reveal their full price and help make low-emission food options cheaper.
• Role of Middle-income countries: They can curb up to three-quarters of global agrifood emissions through greener practices.
  • These include reducing emissions from livestock and rice, investing in healthy soils, and cutting food loss and waste — and using land more efficiently. 
  • One-third of the world’s opportunities to reduce agrifood emissions relate to sustainable land use in middle-income countries.
• Role of Low-income countries: They can start by avoiding the mistakes made by richer countries and seizing climate-smart opportunities for greener and more competitive economies. 
  • Preserving and restoring forests would promote sustainable economic development in low-income countries, given more than half of their agrifood emissions come from clearing forests to produce food.
• Comprehensive Approach to Achieving Net Zero Emissions: Emissions need to be reduced in food systems, including in fertilizers and energy, crop and livestock production, and packaging and distribution across the value chain from farm to table.

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