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The document finds that while agriculture drove 90-99% of tropical deforestation between 2011 and 2015, only 45-65% of that land became productive agriculture. It argues that international supply chain measures are limited because one-third to one-half of agriculture-driven deforestation does not result in actively managed land, and approximately three-quarters of agricultural expansion into forests is driven by domestic demand, particularly for beef and cereals.

The analysis finds that between 2010 and 2014, tropical deforestation for agriculture and forestry caused approximately 2.6 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions annually, with cattle and oilseed products accounting for over half. International trade drove between 29% and 39% of these emissions, with Europe and China identified as major importers. In EU countries, deforestation emissions represent about 15% of the total carbon footprint of food consumption.