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Science-based GHG emissions targets for agriculture and forestry commodities

A new report enables agricultural companies to set science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets for key commodities. Funded by the KR Foundation, the University of Aberdeen, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Ecofys have developed a new science-based target setting methodology for key commodities of the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-Use (AFOLU) sector. The report and online tool covers science-based GHG emissions targets for meat, dairy, pigs, chicken, rice, maize, wheat, soy, palm oil and round wood. Making up nearly a quarter of the global anthropogenic GHG emissions, climate action in this sector is vital to keep global temperature rise well below 2°C. The new methodology is inspired by the Science Based Targets initiative and based on the related Sectoral Decarbonization Approach under this initiative by CDP, UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and WWF with technical support from Ecofys. The new methodology report and provide GHG emissions (CO2 and non-CO2) intensity pathways towards 2050 for the key commodities which together represent over 50% of the AFOLU sector’s emissions.