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138 results
Relying on soil-based carbon capture to offset livestock emissions
The document argues that relying on soil carbon sequestration to offset livestock emissions is risky due to finite storage capacity, the reversibility of carbon storage, and the significant warming potential of methane and nitrous oxide, which can outweigh sequestration gains.
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Document type: Briefing
Cultivating Control
Between 2019 and 2023, agribusiness interests spent over $523 million lobbying on the US food and farm bill, with spending peaking in 2023. The report highlights the role of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in opposing climate action and environmental regulations while advocating for commodity subsidies. It recommends that Congress prioritize small and marginalized farmers and strengthen antitrust enforcement to curb corporate power.
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Document type: Report
Flex-fuel shipping: Designing and operating commercial ships to meet climate targets
The marine shipping industry, responsible for about 3% of global GHG emissions, is under pressure to decarbonize following new targets from the EU and the IMO. The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) highlights that dual-fuel engines, which can run on conventional fuel as well as alternatives like methanol and ammonia, are becoming a standard design to provide flexibility over a ship's 30-plus-year lifespan. CATF's analysis indicates that ammonia-fueled ships could nearly fully decarbonize at a lower lifetime fuel cost than heavy fuel oil if carbon pricing is in place. To achieve these goals, the document recommends a clean marine fuel standard that mandates minimal upstream emissions, ensures safe bunkering, requires on-board pollution controls for gases like nitrous oxide, and uses economic incentives like a low carbon fuel standard to manage the higher costs of zero-emission fuels.
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Document type: Briefing
Tackling emissions from agriculture: a perspective from the Mekong countries
The document identifies rice cultivation, animal husbandry, and synthetic fertilizers as the primary sources of on-farm emissions in the Greater Mekong Subregion, accounting for 63% of the region's 1.1 Gt CO2-eq emissions in 2020. It highlights barriers to the adoption of low-emission innovations, including food insecurity, knowledge gaps, lack of training, and insufficient policy support. The briefing proposes high-impact solutions such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), direct-seeded rice, precision livestock feeding, and site-specific nutrient management, while recommending policy interventions like targeted subsidies, verifiable emission targets, and the establishment of multi-stakeholder learning networks.
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Document type: Briefing
FAQ: The EU ETS for shipping explained
The EU ETS will expand to shipping in 2024, applying the 'polluter pays principle' to cargo and passenger ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above. The system covers 100% of emissions for voyages between EU ports and 50% for voyages between EU and non-EU ports. Costs will be phased in, starting with 40% of 2024 emissions paid in 2025, reaching 100% by 2027. While CO2 is covered from 2024, methane and nitrous oxide will be included from 2026. Revenue will support the Innovation Fund and member state climate projects, with specific exemptions for ice-traveling ships, certain outermost regions, and small island ferries until 2030.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Call for SBTI to align methodology with UN’s High Level Expert Group report on Net-zero Commitments
The document is a formal letter from several NGOs to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) arguing that current SBTi guidelines are insufficient to meet the standards set by the UN High Level Expert Group's 'Integrity Matters' report. The authors identify gaps in environmental integrity, accountability, and credibility, specifically calling for a strict 1.5°C baseline, full Scope 3 emissions disclosure, and the phase-out of fossil fuels. They demand that SBTi increase transparency regarding company submissions and remove entities that fail to meet their commitments, citing JBS as an example of misleading claims.
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Document type: Statement
Genesee - Finger Lakes Emissions Inventory
The report establishes a baseline emissions inventory for the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region, identifying transportation, agriculture, and residential heating as primary emission sources. It details a methodology aligned with New York State and IPCC guidelines, providing county-level breakdowns and a baseline projection that suggests a slight increase in total emissions by 2050.
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Document type: Report
SOLUTIONS TO MEET THE NEED FOR FEED
The report examines the significant environmental impacts of animal feed, which accounts for 41% of livestock's global greenhouse gas emissions and 98% of its freshwater use. It proposes four key solutions: Responsible Sourcing to end land conversion, Regenerative Agriculture to improve soil health and carbon sequestration, Circular Ingredients to utilize food waste and by-products, and Feeding Innovations to improve efficiency and reduce enteric methane. The document emphasizes that these solutions require a strong enabling environment, including better data transparency, supportive public policy, and strong market signals across the fragmented feed value chain.
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Document type: Report
Fossils, Fertilizers, and False Solutions
The report details how the global production of nitrogen fertilizers has grown nearly ninefold since 1961, creating a systemic dependency on fossil gas. It argues that the agrochemical industry is collaborating with oil and gas companies to 'launder' fossil fuels through the promotion of blue hydrogen and blue ammonia paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The document asserts that these technologies are technically and economically infeasible for most uses and serve as a distraction to delay the phaseout of fossil fuels and industrial agriculture. It further highlights the environmental impacts of these chemicals, including the crossing of planetary boundaries related to nitrogen and phosphorus flows and chemical pollution.
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Document type: Report
Making the EU carbon market shipshape for the maritime sector
Carbon Market Watch argues that including international maritime transport in the EU ETS is essential for sector decarbonisation given the lack of progress at the International Maritime Organisation. The organization recommends covering 100% of international voyages to and from the European Economic Area, starting in 2024, and expanding the scope to include non-CO2 gases and vessels from 400 to 5,000 gross tonnage. It further advocates for the removal of exemptions for outermost regions and specific vessel types, and the creation of an Ocean Fund to receive 75% of generated revenues to support zero-carbon fuels and energy efficiency.
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Document type: Statement
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Palm Oil
The document examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of palm oil, noting that emissions range from -0.3 to over 20 kgCO2e/kg CPO, with an average of approximately 6 kgCO2e/kg CPO. The primary drivers of these emissions are land-use change (LUC), particularly the conversion of tropical forests and peatlands, and the degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The report highlights that emissions are highly spatially heterogeneous, with peat-based production being significantly more carbon-intensive than mineral-soil production. Mitigation strategies focus on preventing further deforestation and peatland development, managing water tables in existing peatlands, and implementing POME treatment technologies such as biogas capture and composting. The document also compares production characteristics across key regions, noting that Southeast Asia has the highest yields and production volumes, while West Africa has the lowest.
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Document type: Research paper
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Coffee
The document analyzes GHG emissions from coffee production, ranging from 3 to over 40 kgCO2e/kg roast coffee, with an average of approximately 20 kgCO2e/kg. It identifies land-use change, fertilizer use, and wet-processing effluent as the primary emission drivers. The briefing highlights that while polyculture systems sequester more carbon than monocultures, the overall footprint is highly variable based on location and practice. Key mitigation strategies include preventing deforestation, treating processing effluent, and improving fertilizer management, though implementation is challenged by the prevalence of smallholder farming.
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Document type: Briefing
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Beef
The report examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of beef production, highlighting that emissions vary drastically by region and production system, ranging from 16 to 360 kg CO2e/kg edible meat. It identifies enteric fermentation, feed production, and land-use change as the primary emission drivers, while noting that well-managed grazing lands can act as carbon sinks. The document outlines mitigation strategies including improved feed digestibility, rotational grazing, and feed additives, estimating a total global mitigation potential between 0.67 and 2.55 GtCO2e/yr.
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Document type: Research paper
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Salmon
The document analyzes the GHG footprint of salmon, noting that emissions are dominated by feed, with total retail emissions typically between 7 and 10 kgCO2e/kg edible weight. It highlights significant variability based on production methods, feed composition, and transport modes, while identifying land-use change in feed and air freight as primary targets for mitigation.
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Document type: Briefing
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Maize
The report analyzes the GHG emissions of maize production, noting an average on-farm emission of 0.6 kgCO2e/kg maize. It identifies land-use change, nitrogen fertilizer application, and tillage practices as primary emission drivers. The document highlights significant regional variability, with high emissions intensity often correlating with low yields in countries like Nigeria. Proposed mitigation efforts include preventing habitat conversion, adopting no-till or strip-till farming, and optimizing nitrogen fertilizer use through nitrification inhibitors.
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Document type: Research paper
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Shrimp
The report examines GHG emissions from shrimp aquaculture, noting a wide range of intensities (2 to 99 kgCO2e/kg retail product) driven by production methods, feed, and land-use change. It highlights that while intensive systems are more common and generally less GHG-intensive per unit, the conversion of mangroves for extensive ponds creates massive emissions. Key mitigation opportunities include improving feed conversion ratios (FCR), adopting conversion-free feed, and transitioning to renewable energy.
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Document type: Research paper
Measuring and Mitigating GHGs: Chicken
The document analyzes the GHG emissions of chicken production, noting that cradle-to-retail meat averages 7–10 kgCO2e/kg edible weight (EW). Feed, particularly land-use change (LUC) from soy and oil palm, is the primary emission driver. The report compares broiler, layer, and backyard systems, highlighting that conventional industrial farming generally has lower emissions than organic systems due to better feed conversion and bird performance. Mitigation focuses on deforestation-free feed, optimized diets, and improved manure management.
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Document type: Briefing
FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS
The report examines the environmental and climate impacts of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides, highlighting their role in greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. It exposes the deep corporate links between the fossil fuel and agrochemical industries and criticizes their joint efforts to use CCS technology to justify continued fossil gas use for ammonia production, which threatens global food security and climate goals.
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Document type: Executive summary
FOSSILS, FERTILIZERS, AND FALSE SOLUTIONS
The document examines the environmental and human rights impacts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, highlighting their contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. It details the structural links between the fossil fuel and agrochemical industries, specifically the promotion of 'blue' ammonia and hydrogen using CCS as a means to secure long-term demand for natural gas. The text warns that this industrial model undermines food sovereignty and planetary boundaries, advocating for a transition to regenerative agricultural models.
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Document type: Executive summary
Peak CO2 & Heat-trapping Emissions
The document reports that atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane levels continue to rise, with CO2 expected to break records in May 2022 and methane seeing its largest annual increase in 2021. It identifies the energy sector as the largest global emitter (34%) and the transportation sector as the largest U.S. emitter (27%), arguing that rapid and deep emission cuts across all sectors are necessary this decade to limit warming to 1.5C or below 2C.
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Document type: Fact sheet