Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System

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Context:

• World Bank Report titled "Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System" outlines actions for countries to enhance food security, and climate resilience, and protect vulnerable populations during the transition to net-zero emissions.

Findings of the report

Impact of Solar Pump Adoption in India:

• Replacing a quarter of India’s 8.8 million diesel irrigation pumps with solar pumps could lead to a reduction in agrifood emissions by 11.5 million tonnes annually.
• This reduction surpasses the combined global emissions prevented by electric vehicles and solar panels in 2020, as per a new World Bank report on agrifood system emissions reduction.

Global Agrifood Emissions:

• The world’s agrifood system emits about 16 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases annually, around one-third of global emissions, with projections indicating further growth.

India's Emission Profile:

• In India, 60% of agrifood emissions originate from the farm gate, with enteric fermentation being a major contributor due to livestock inefficiency.
• Despite low emission intensity in rice production, India's global rank as the second-largest rice producer contributes considerable emissions (4%).

Renewable Energy Adoption in India:

• India has already deployed over 272,000 solar-powered irrigation systems by December 2020, indicating the potential for significant emissions reduction in the agri-food sector.
• The report suggests that 80% of agrifood emission mitigation potential in India could be achieved through cost-saving measures.

Top Agrifood Emitters:

• The top ten agrifood emitters include China, Brazil, India, the United States, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Russian Federation, Canada, Pakistan, and Argentina.
• Of these, two (Canada and US) are high-income countries (HIC), one (Democratic Republic of Congo) is low-income country (LIC) and the rest are middle-income countries.

Per Capita Emissions:

• While populous countries like China and India rank high in total emissions, their per capita emissions are relatively lower compared to high-income countries.
• HICs exhibit the highest per capita emissions due to resource-intensive development models, with the US being a significant historical emitter.

Way ahead:

• The report emphasizes the significant role of the agrifood system in climate change and its potential for low-cost emissions reduction. Investments are crucial to halve agrifood emissions and meet Net Zero goals. Annual investments will need to increase to $260 billion a year to cut in half agrifood emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero emissions by 2050.
• Investments in emissions reduction would yield over $4 trillion in benefits, including improved human health, food security, job creation, and carbon retention in forests and soils.
• The report emphasizes the need to redirect agricultural subsidies towards emissions reduction initiatives and increase financing for Net Zero targets.
• High-income countries can support low- and middle-income countries to adopt low-emission farming methods and technologies and shift subsidies away from high-emission food sources.
• Middle-income countries have a crucial role in reducing emissions through greener practices like livestock and rice emission reduction, soil health improvement, and efficient land use.
• Low-income countries can pursue climate-smart opportunities for greener economies, including forest preservation and restoration to mitigate agrifood emissions.
• Preserving and restoring forests would promote sustainable economic development in low-income countries, given that more than half of their agrifood emissions come from clearing forests to produce food.

Source:

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/annual-investments-of-260-billion-required-to-halve-agrifood-emissions-by-2030-achieve-net-zero-by-2050-world-bank-96003