Our topics

Agriculture and food systems

Food systems
flagship projects

Overview

A rapid and far-reaching transition of agriculture practices and the food system more broadly is key to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Such transition requires minimising direct emissions from agricultural activities, reducing the impact of land use and induced land use change on deforestation, as well as enhancing carbon sink capacity of lands and soils. It calls for a massive shift in the way our food is produced, processed and transported, as well as behavioural changes in relation to what we  eat and consume. The challenges are complex, considering population growth projections, consumption trends, effects of an already changing climate, and the limited options to reduce some of agriculture’s most problematic greenhouse gasses: methane and nitrous oxide. In addition to compensating for those likely residual emissions, the land sector must also shift to serve as an overall net carbon sink to compensate for emissions in other sectors. Importantly, the transition must consider issues of biodiversity, water, and food security, together with the relevance of the land sector to the livelihoods of billions of people.

Our work on these topics include the following:

  • Analysis and evaluation of policies and measures
  • Development of sector level benchmarks and scenarios
  • Evaluation of sustainable development impacts
  • Analysis of transition risks and response measures
Ambitious GHG mitigation in the agricultural sector

NewClimate is working with Öko-Institut to explore options, barriers and solutions for mitigating AFOLU sector emissions, including...

NewClimate Institute at COP28
Publication date 22 Nov 2023

The 28th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP) takes place from 30 November - 12 December 2023. NewClimate Institute was present in...

Development finance in the land sector: tracking progress towards Paris alignment
Publication date 06 Dec 2022

Development finance institutions have a crucial role to help bring about the needed shift in global food systems and the land sector...

Landscape for mitigation action and finance in Georgia’s agriculture sector
Publication date 01 Apr 2022

Climate Smart Agriculture practices in the context of Georgia’s climate mitigation efforts This report provides an overview of the...

Transition risks, mitigation options, and the global protein transformation in the context of Argentina’s agriculture sector
Publication date 22 Mar 2022

Ambition to Action Phase II publication series The three-part report series identifies transition risks faced by Argentina’s export...

Aligning agribusiness and the broader food system with the Paris Agreement
Publication date 29 Jun 2021

Achieving the mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement calls for a shift in where and how our food is produced, processed and...

A review of successful climate change mitigation policies in major emitting economies and the potential of global replication
Publication date 08 Jan 2021

This scientific article in ‘Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews’ looks at climate change mitigation policies in five major...

What's on the table? Mitigating agricultural emissions while achieving food security
Publication date 24 Jan 2018

A new analysis of agricultural emissions by the Climate Action Tracker shows that reducing emissions through changes in farming...

CLIMTRADE - Impacts of climate regulation on trade

The CLIMTRADE tool allows users to analyse a range of economic impacts associated with carbon border adjustments. The Excel-based tool...

COP28 needs to switch mode from finding the smallest common denominator to achieving what was before unimaginable
Publication date 22 Nov 2023

The 28th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP) takes place from 30 November - 12 December 2023, at the end of another year of...

Climate action in agriculture is essential for food security
Publication date 27 Oct 2022

This blog is part of a series debunking ‘myths’ about trade-offs between climate action and development. It is intended for decision...

What’s at stake for steak?
Publication date 11 Jul 2022

Analysing an EU carbon tariff on meat imports with CLIMTRADE The meat industry is a major, and growing, contributor to global...

Online event: Boosting multilateral investments for biodiversity
Venue Online
Date 08 Dec 2022
Start time 12:00 pm

In the framework of the OECD Multilateral Development Finance Week 2022, NewClimate joined E3G's event on boosting multilateral...

COP27: Transitioning Agriculture systems for sustainability and climate resilience
Venue COP27, Akhenaten (150), Zone C, Side Events 2 Building
Date 14 Nov 2022
Start time 06:30 pm

The transformation of agriculture systems to reduce emissions feed a growing population in a warming planet is a challenge identified...

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