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The policy brief warns that using soybeans and corn for aviation fuel increases food prices and causes deforestation, urging the US government and states like California to prioritize non-food feedstocks such as waste biomass and e-fuels.

The biofuels industry has expanded due to government blending requirements and clean fuels standards, with potential further growth from the aviation and maritime sectors seeking to meet emission targets. However, there is significant controversy regarding how these policies account for greenhouse gas reductions and the extent to which biofuels drive tropical deforestation.

The briefing argues against the simple extrapolation of financial discount rates to physical carbon flows when assessing the emissions impact of land-use change for biofuels. It proposes distinguishing between the 'project horizon' (cultivation period) and the 'impact horizon' (atmospheric effect period), suggesting the latter be treated as a rolling target. The document further recommends that salvaged carbon from future revegetation be excluded from initial conversion accounting and suggests that if discounting is necessary, a range of values—including zero or negative rates—should be considered.

Initiative 20x20 is a regional partnership in Latin America and the Caribbean designed to restore degraded landscapes through reforestation, agroforestry, and silvopasture. The initiative has surpassed its initial goal of 20 million hectares and has earmarked US$2.4 billion for project financing. The program addresses the fact that at least 200 million hectares of land in the region are severely degraded and that 49% of regional emissions stem from land-use change, forestry, and agriculture.

The document presents a flow chart of global greenhouse gas emissions for 2000, totaling 41,755 MtCO2 equivalent. It identifies Electricity & Heat (24.6%) and Land Use Change (18.2%) as the largest contributing sectors, while Carbon Dioxide (77%) is the dominant gas species.

The document analyzes the restoration of approximately 4 million hectares of forest in New England between 1880 and 2000, which occurred largely through the passive abandonment of agricultural land. It identifies market shifts toward Midwestern agriculture and the subsequent decline of small-scale regional farming as primary drivers. While ecological conditions and policy measures like the Weeks Act of 1911 supported this recovery, the report warns that current trends are reversing due to residential development, population growth, and ecological pressures such as deer browsing.

The world faces a 69 percent gap between 2006 crop calories and those required by 2050 for a population of 9.6 billion. Closing this gap through production alone would require increases exceeding those seen between 1962 and 2006. The document proposes a 'menu of solutions' categorized by reducing consumption, increasing production on existing land, and reducing emissions. Key strategies include cutting food loss and waste in half (reducing the gap by 20%), achieving replacement level fertility in sub-Saharan Africa (reducing the regional gap by 25%), and shifting 20% of future beef consumption to other proteins. It warns that aggressive bioenergy targets could widen the food gap to 100%.

The briefing explains that carbon offsets can lower compliance costs in cap-and-trade systems by allowing regulated sources to compensate for emissions through reductions at unregulated sources. To maintain system integrity, offsets must be "real, surplus (or additional), verifiable, permanent, and enforceable." The author highlights that forestry and agriculture projects face higher quantification uncertainties—including measurement, baseline, leakage, and reversibility risks—which increase transaction costs for certification. Consequently, the document suggests that direct payments may be a more cost-effective alternative to offset markets for these specific high-uncertainty project types.

The report argues that large-scale landscape restoration in Latin America and the Caribbean is economically attractive, estimating a net present value of $23 billion over 50 years for the restoration of 20 million hectares. The analysis identifies agricultural productivity gains and carbon sequestration as the primary drivers of economic value, though results vary significantly by biome and degree of degradation. The study emphasizes that such efforts are critical for the region to achieve a low-carbon development path and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is implementing a 2023-2027 strategy to drive systemic change across three human-centered systems: Cities, Energy, and Food, Land & Water. WRI Europe Stichting serves as the regional representative in Europe, leveraging the region's financial and research hubs to pilot sustainable practices and mobilize funding. The organization utilizes a framework of Global Impact Targets, WRI Impact Targets, and Country-Level Targets to measure success, aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. WRI Europe Stichting's financial report for the 2024/2025 period shows a total income of EUR 17,360,351 and a result for the year of EUR 153,834.

The document identifies the giant panda's low reproductive rate, dependence on bamboo, and human encroachment as primary vulnerabilities to climate change, suggesting habitat connectivity and the restoration of heat-adapted bamboo as conservation priorities.

The report investigates how the expansion of toll and national roads in the RIMBA Ecosystem Corridor (spanning Riau, Jambi, and West Sumatra) fragments wildlife habitats and degrades ecosystem services. It highlights the critical risk to Sumatran tigers and elephants, noting that road infrastructure acts as a driver for land-use change, including conversion to oil palm and rubber plantations. The study finds that while nature-based solutions like animal underpasses have been implemented, they are often insufficient or fail during rainy seasons. It predicts a decline in carbon storage and water reserves by 2030 and recommends strategic habitat corridors and improved governance of animal crossing facilities to mitigate extinction risks and environmental degradation.

Nutreco has implemented 'RoadMap 2025', a sustainability framework organized into three pillars: health and welfare, climate and circularity, and good citizenship. The company has set Science-Based Targets (SBTs) for 2030, including a 30% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 58% reduction in Scope 3 emissions based on value-added economic intensity. To reduce reliance on traditional commodities that drive deforestation and overfishing, Nutreco aims for 5-10% of its feed ingredients to be 'novel' by 2025, though the document notes that global availability of such ingredients is currently limited to likely under 200,000 metric tons. The company is also adopting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to provide carbon transparency to clients and has established a Marine Ingredients Responsible Sourcing Policy requiring certifications such as ASC or MSC. In terms of social impact, Nutreco targets improving the livelihoods of 12,000 small farmers, with active projects in Nigeria and Guatemala.

The paper argues that Indonesia can meet rising global vegetable oil demand without further deforestation by combining yield intensification with expansion onto degraded lands, specifically alang-alang grasslands and flat secondary forests. It finds that management practices are more critical to yield than previous land use and that alang-alang grasslands offer the lowest establishment costs and fastest carbon payback times.

The report evaluates the environmental impacts of replacing conventional hen feed with three alternatives: black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal, processed food waste feed, and bakery by-product meal. While bakery meal is the only option that does not increase overall environmental impacts, BSFL and food waste feed show significant benefits in reducing land use. The study highlights a critical trade-off where novel ingredients often increase greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption due to processing energy, though they can reduce the pressure to convert native habitats like the Northern Great Plains into commodity cropland.

A WWF study finds that post-harvest losses for corn and soy in the US are significantly higher than industry expectations, with corn losses averaging 4.7% and soy 4.5%. These losses result in billions of dollars in economic waste and millions of tons of GHG emissions. The report identifies equipment sophistication and operator experience as primary drivers of loss and argues that reducing these losses can alleviate pressure to convert natural habitats into cropland.

The report positions leather as a circular byproduct of the beef and dairy industries, arguing that leather purchasers have a unique economic lever to incentivize deforestation-free production. It highlights the environmental risks of both cattle-driven deforestation and plastic-based leather alternatives, while noting that the leather industry currently lags in forest protection commitments. The text emphasizes the importance of full traceability to the farm level, the role of emerging EU and UK legislation, and the potential for industry collaboration through groups like the Leather Working Group to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and habitat loss.

During the second half of December 2022, monarch butterfly colonies in Mexico occupied 2.21 hectares of forest, representing a 22% decrease from the 2.84 hectares recorded in 2021. Of the 11 colonies identified, six (1.52 ha) were located within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) and five (0.69 ha) were outside the reserve. The largest colony (0.797 ha) was found in Ejido El Rosario, while the smallest (0.004 ha) was in Ejido El Potrero. The report identifies climate change, forest degradation in Mexico, and the decline of milkweed in the United States as primary threats to the species.

The report highlights how disparate product-level GHG accounting tools and frameworks undermine climate mitigation efforts, especially in agriculture. It identifies key areas of variability—system boundaries, allocation methods, and data requirements—that lead to incomparable results and potential greenwashing. The author advocates for globally standardized methodologies, improved quality control, pre-competitive collaboration, and increased transparency to ensure that corporate Scope 3 emissions reductions are real and verifiable.

The BFA Methodology is a two-tier assessment tool for biobased plastic feedstocks. It begins with an 'Executive Level Screening' for high-level risk identification and viability, followed by a 'Survey Level Screening' that utilizes 13 environmental and social indicator data sheets for in-depth supply chain analysis and the identification of mitigation strategies.