Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions

Deforestation, the second largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, is largely driven by expanding forestry and agriculture. However, despite agricultural expansion being increasingly driven by foreign demand, the links between deforestation and foreign demand for agricultural commodities have only been partially mapped. Here we present a pan-tropical quantification of carbon emissions from deforestation associated with the expansion of agriculture and forest plantations, and trace embodied emissions through global supply chains to consumers. We find that in the period 2010–2014, expansion of agriculture and tree plantations into forests across the tropics was associated with net emissions of…

• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• HO
  Havs- och Vattenmyndigheten
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: KA 4815/1-1
• SF
  Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas

  Awards: 213:2014-1181, 2014-1181
• N
  Naturvårdsverket

  Award: 255483
• NF
  Norges Forskningsråd