We wrote more about the acceleration (since 2000) of cropland expansion here. One prerequisite to staying within 1.5°C of warming is ending deforestation ASAP. And one prerequisite to ending deforestation is ending cropland and pastureland expansion even while feeding a growing world population. 🧪
According to a landmark new study, 102 million hectares (Mha) (252 million acres) of land — an area the size of Egypt — have been converted to crops since the start of the 21st century. To put this in...
And this is the new study out this week: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Our team has previously analyzed the decades-long decline in agricultural GHG intensity (per calorie or unit of protein). In State of Climate Action 2023, we include a >50% reduction target for agricultural GHG intensity by 2050.
There is so much waste in food. I feel like that should be the real area of focus. Producing more on the same land is going to incentivize the use of aggressive pesticides and chemical fertilizers which are going to destroy soil in the longer term. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.