Erschienen:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014
Erschienen in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Sprache:
Englisch
DOI:
10.1073/pnas.1307163111
ISSN:
0027-8424;
1091-6490
Entstehung:
Anmerkungen:
Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Significance</jats:title>
<jats:p>
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 (
<jats:italic>i</jats:italic>
) increased cattle production abroad (under the tax) and (
<jats:italic>ii</jats:italic>
) increased beef consumption (under the subsidy). Agricultural intensification policies may help emerging economies to balance agricultural development and forest protection.
</jats:p>