Publications

DEVELOPMENT AND OUTLOOK FOR AGRICULTURE IN INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE NEGOCIATIONS

25 February 2015 - Climate Report - By : Claudine FOUCHEROT / Clothilde TRONQUET

By Clothilde TRONQUET, Claudine FOUCHEROT

Agriculture has a specific role to play in current and future climate change. This carbon-intensive sector, which is responsible for 13.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is also highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, including a downward trend and increasing variability in yields. Yet agriculture’s capacity to adapt and potential for mitigation also make it part of the solution to climate change. The agricultural sector is often treated as a poor relation in international climate negotiations, which is inappropriate given its specific characteristics and fundamental role. The aim of this report is to consider how agriculture can participate effectively in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations and identify the main challenges faced by this sector in the coming years.

An analysis of the history of negotiations and their current situation belies the idea that agriculture plays no part in the UNFCCC process, although it does not enjoy specific consideration as a sector. It falls within the scope of various mitigation and adaptation mechanisms, while its effective participation remains limited. Since 2009, agriculture has also been included in the COP negotiation process and is currentlyn part of the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). However, agriculture is only at the first stage of a long and complex negotiation process which cannot be expected to be completed during COP21. While we can hope for COP21 to achieve progress in dialogue regarding monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) or the adoption of a landscape approach, the SBSTA’s work on agriculture will continue beyond 2015, representing a vital step before the development of any operational tools. Multilateral initiatives such as the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture are meanwhile helping to mobilise the international community regarding agricultural issues, in parallel with international negotiations, although they remain on the margins of the UN’s action.

The obstacles to establishing mitigation and adaptation mechanisms in the agricultural sector, from engineering to funding, are abundant and difficult to overcome. Therefore the perceived “slowness” of international negotiations on the subject of agriculture only reflects the scale of the challenges to be tackled, i.e. the importance of agriculture in trade, its political sensitivity and the complexity of the scientific and technical challenge presented by the reduction and monitoring of agricultural emissions. Furthermore, it is a matter of rethinking agricultural development trajectories, modifying the organisation of agricultural sub-sectors, from input production to consumption habits, and considering the effective impacts on stakeholders, including in terms of development.

DEVELOPMENT AND OUTLOOK FOR AGRICULTURE IN INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE NEGOCIATIONS Download
I4CE Contacts
Clothilde TRONQUET
Clothilde TRONQUET
Research Fellow – Carbon Farming, Carbon markets, Agriculture and Forest Climate Clubs Email
To learn more
  • 04/22/2025 Blog post
    Planning for the cost of climate action: a practical guide for local governments

    Local authorities play a leading role in ecological planning. As major contributors to public investment they have core responsibilities that can significantly accelerate the transition, such as expanding public transport networks or retrofitting public buildings for energy efficiency. According to I4CE, in France, local authorities in France need to double their investments in decarbonization by 2030 -without even accounting for future adaptation costs.

  • 04/10/2025
    Transition plans and remuneration policies: what are the challenges for financial actors?

    Integrating climate indicators into variable remuneration is a burning issue. Although it was removed at the last minute from negotiations on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the proposal is still very much alive in the policy debate . While the topic is becoming increasingly central to remuneration in large companies, it still appears to be a taboo within the banking sector. This requirement was already included in the European Central Bank’s supervisory guidelines as early as 2020, yet it appears to have been largely neglected by banks.

  • 03/28/2025 Hors série
    The pathway for climate investments in turbulent times – annual report 2024

    We are witnessing a withdrawal of commitments to climate action. In the US, President Donald Trump does not hide his hostility to what he calls the ‘climate hoax’. In Europe and in France, new narratives around competitiveness, strategic autonomy and security are gaining ground, reflecting a new political reality. If there is still a broad consensus on the long-term objective of climate neutrality, how to get there is increasingly challenged, generating uncertainty. The scarcity of fiscal resources impacts the willingness to embark on the green transition.

See all publications
Press contact Amélie FRITZ Head of Communication and press relations Email
Subscribe to our mailing list :
I register !
Subscribe to our newsletter
Once a week, receive all the information on climate economics
I register !
Fermer