Land-use emissions embodied in international trade

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Economics
• Climate Change Studies

Background:

• International trade disconnects product consumption from environmental impacts, including agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and land-use change.
• These "land-use emissions" represent a significant environmental externality of global commerce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify land-use emissions embodied in global trade from 2004 to 2017.
• To identify the major pathways and regions involved in the transfer of these emissions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized novel emissions estimates for agriculture and land-use change.
• Employed a multiregional input-output model to track embodied emissions in international trade.

Main Results:

• Annually, 27% of land-use emissions and 22% of agricultural land were associated with products consumed internationally.
• Approximately 75% of these embodied emissions stemmed from land-use change.
• Major emission transfers originated from Brazil, Indonesia, and Argentina, flowing to Europe, the United States, and China.

Conclusions:

• Global mitigation of land-use emissions requires addressing international trade dynamics.
• Enhancing supply chain transparency is crucial for both environmental mitigation and sustainable development.
• The study highlights the environmental burden shifting inherent in global agricultural trade.