Identifying and Tackling Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Subsidies in the WTO

The document analyzes global agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, noting that the sector accounted for approximately 20% of global anthropogenic emissions in 2022. It identifies ruminant livestock and deforestation as the primary drivers of these emissions and highlights significant regional variations in emission intensities. The author argues that coupled subsidies and market price supports incentivize environmentally harmful practices and recommends repurposing these funds toward sustainable management, innovation, and uncoupled payments to reduce the sector's carbon footprint while balancing food security and livelihoods.

• In 2022, total GHG emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use were 10.9Gt CO2eq, which is approximately 20% of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions. On-farm emissions accounted for 7.8 Gt CO2eq, while agricultural land use change contributed 3.1Gt CO2eq.
• The primary contributors to global agricultural emissions in 2022 were CO2 emissions from deforestation and CH4 emissions from ruminant livestock, together representing 54% of total emissions. Other significant sources include livestock manure (12.3%), on-farm energy use (8.5%), and the draining of organic soils (8.5%).
• GHG emission intensities vary significantly by commodity and region. Beef has the highest intensity at 28kg CO2eq/kg globally in 2022, with the highest regional intensity found in Africa (59 kg CO2eq/kg) and the lowest in North America (13kg CO2eq/kg). Cow milk intensity was also highest in Africa (3.2kg CO2eq/kg), roughly three times higher than in other regions.
• Agricultural support is at a historical high, totaling $851 billion per year between 2020–22 for 54 analyzed countries. The majority of this support ($630 billion) is provided directly to producers or via market price support, with the highest concentrations in the European Union, the United States, India, and China.
• Coupled subsidies and market price supports are identified as the most environmentally harmful policies because they incentivize the intensification of input use, the allocation of land for supported crops, and the expansion of agricultural land.
• Reform priorities should focus on reducing support for emission-intensive products, particularly ruminant livestock, and eliminating unconstrained input subsidies for fertilizers, feed, and fuel, which totaled $68 billion per year from 2020–2022.
• The document recommends repurposing subsidies toward uncoupled payments, payments for environmental public goods, and innovation in sustainable management. This includes improving feed conversion efficiencies and pasture quality for livestock, and promoting precision agriculture and integrated crop management for crops.

APA

Cox, A. (2025). Identifying and Tackling Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Subsidies in the WTO. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Briefing-Note-GHG-Emissions-in-Agricultural-Sector.pdf?dm=1746526911

Chicago

Cox, Anthony. Identifying and Tackling Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Subsidies in the WTO. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs, 2025. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Briefing-Note-GHG-Emissions-in-Agricultural-Sector.pdf?dm=1746526911.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cox |first1=Anthony |title=Identifying and Tackling Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Subsidies in the WTO |publisher=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |date=May 2025 |url=https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Briefing-Note-GHG-Emissions-in-Agricultural-Sector.pdf?dm=1746526911 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cox2025identifying, author = {Cox, Anthony}, title = {{Identifying and Tackling Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Subsidies in the WTO}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Briefing-Note-GHG-Emissions-in-Agricultural-Sector.pdf?dm=1746526911}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }