The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) imply country-led implementation. Yet, their achievement depends on sustainability targets compatible across different sectors and scales. Our study examines how the GHG emission intensity of agriculture (EIA) should evolve globally,...
Agricultural methane and nitrous oxide emissions represent around 10–12% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions and have a key role to play in achieving a 1.5 °C (above pre-industrial) climate stabilization target. Using a multi-model assessment approach, we quantify the...
The scenario study ‘The Future of the North Sea’ explores the spatial and ecological impact of possible developments on the North Sea, up to 2050, with regard to nature, energy transition and food supply. The PBL study uses four scenarios to do so.
The five Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) show similar global crop P uptake and P inputs, despite differences in population and incomes. In the sustainability scenario SSP1, the increase in P uptake comes entirely from increased production per hectare, with varying...
Only under the most optimistic sustainability scenario, the global synthetic fertilizer use in croplands stabilizes or even shrinks in the coming decades. In the most pessimistic fragmentation scenario, synthetic fertilization application rates are expected to increase almost...
Changes in land use and land cover are important in global climate change, but the many uncertainties in historical estimates seriously hamper climate modelling. We collected new data on estimated per capita land use over the last two millennia, using new data sources from...
Reducing hunger while staying within planetary boundaries of pollution, land use and fresh water use is one of the most urgent sustainable development goals. It is imperative to understand future food demand, the agricultural system, and the interactions with other natural...
The global livestock sector supports about 1.3 billion producers and retailers, and contributes 40–50% of agricultural GDP. We estimated that between 1995 and 2005, the livestock sector was responsible for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of 5.6–7.5 GtCO2e yr–1. Livestock...
Except for grassland soils in some northwestern European countries, grassland soils in most of the world have been exhausted over recent decades, particularly by exporting more phosphorus that is returned by inputs manure and fertilizer.
By-products of agricultural and forestry processes, known as residues, may act as a primary source of renewable energy. Studies assessing the availability of this resource so far offer few insights on the drivers and constraints of the available potential, the associated...
