Environmental resources and development (ERD)

ESM researchers studied the complex interactions between agricultural land use and the natural environment to inform sustainable development policies.

Agricultural productivity, GHG mitigation, food security trade-offs

Producing more without increasing the contribution of agriculture and land use change to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) is a significant challenge. IIASA research around the future Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) has led to the consideration of different quantified scenarios for agricultural productivity development, in particular in the case of crops (Götz et al., forthcoming). Increasing crop productivity can spare cropland at a competitive cost compared with other abatement policies (see Figure 1). However, using the detailed representation of livestock in the GLOBIOM model, the ESM team demonstrated that growing more grains would also encourage livestock system intensification and additionally save large areas of grassland (Havlík et al., 2012).

Interestingly, intensifying the crop or livestock sector has different implications: crop yield increases bring the largest food provision increase and food security benefits, while livestock productivity improvement allows the greatest gains in GHG emission reductions. Thus, combining productivity increases simultaneously in the two sectors produces the best joint outcomes with respect to GHG mitigation and food security (Valin et al., forthcoming).

An overview of ESM's work on environmental resources and development is accessible from the links below. Click in the right-hand box on Ecosystems Services and Management Program 2012 to see other research areas.

Agricultural productivity, GHG mitigation, food security trade-offs

ESM helped develop new quantified scenarios for agricultural productivity development, in particular for crops, in 2012. More

Global agricultural model intercomparisons (MIPs) for climate change scenarios

To provide decision makers with the range of uncertainty related to current models and to create a platform where modelers can exchange data and knowledge with their peers and ultimately improve their tools, two model intercomparison projects were begun in 2012. More

Assessment of European and US policies toward low carbon economy

In 2012 ESM continued to be significantly involved in the global debate on the relevance and impact of current policies on biofuels from wood, grasses, and crops like sugar cane. The GLOBIOM model was applied in several studies to quantify the global impact of EU and US biofuel legislation. More