Cattle ranching intensification in Brazil can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by sparing land from deforestation

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1307163111
• Publication Date: 2014-04-29T07:37:37Z
• Authors: Avery S. Cohn; Aline Mosnier; Petr Havlík; Hugo Valin; Mario Herrero; Erwin Schmid; Michael O’Hare; Michael Obersteiner
• Keywords: Greenhouse Effect; 2. Zero hunger; Conservation of Natural Resources; 330; 1. No poverty; Agriculture; Forestry; Taxes; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; Carbon; 12. Responsible consumption; 13. Climate action; Air Pollution; 11. Sustainability; Animals; Cattle; Computer Simulation; Animal Husbandry; Brazil; Carbon Footprint; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Significance

Could the intensification of pasture-based cattle ranching allow Brazil to protect its forests and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while increasing its agricultural production? Would these benefits be substantially undermined by increased deforestation and GHGs triggered abroad? We model two policies for increasing cattle ranching productivity in Brazil: a tax on conventional pasture and a subsidy for semi-intensive pasture. Either policy could considerably mitigate global GHGs by limiting future deforestation in Brazil. The GHG benefits would be roughly ten times greater than the emissions triggered by policies stemming from ( i ) increased cattle production abroad (under the tax) and ( ii ) increased beef consumption (under the subsidy). Agricultural intensification policies may help emerging economies to balance agricultural development and forest protection.