Cutting Carbon, Feeding the World

New Zealand's new plan to improve global agricultural efficiency.
By TIM GROSER
Over the next few decades, food security will become an increasingly urgent problem. At the same time, people will demand action on climate change. But how can we feed humanity while still responding to the imperatives of climate change?
Each year, agriculture contributes about 14% of all human-induced greenhouse gases—about as much as running every car, boat and plane on the planet. Yet agriculture's role in mitigating climate change has received little attention and very little research funding, especially when compared to the huge sums spent on areas like electric cars, renewable energy or carbon capture and storage.
Reducing agricultural emissions cannot be at the expense of food production, however. To feed the world, food production will need to double by 2050. This is the same time frame in which the science tells us global greenhouse gas emissions will need to be halved if we are to limit global warming to two degrees centigrade. Already the food system is struggling to feed the world's population, and food security will always take priority over climate-change considerations.
New Zealand has been thinking about this problem. In September Prime Minister John Key proposed that countries form a Global Alliance to tackle this immense challenge. A Global Alliance would undertake international research and investment into new technologies and practices, and better coordinate existing efforts. It would harness our collective knowledge and turn it into action. A Global Alliance would give agriculture the political level focus it deserves.
The response to Mr. Key's call-to-arms has been overwhelmingly positive. Already there have been expressions of interest from many countries including the United States, India, Australia and the Netherlands, as well as private-sector companies and charitable foundations.
We are under no illusions about the complexity of the challenge or about the rewards for success. New Zealand has an unusual profile for a developed country: Almost half our greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Agriculture also dominates our export profile. We are the first and so far the only country in the world to have included agriculture in an emissions trading scheme.
All this has given us unique insight into the complexity of agricultural emissions. We understand that agricultural emissions are typically a waste of productive inputs. For example, nitrogen lost from fertilizer is no longer available to boost production, and carbon lost from the soil reduces the future production potential of the land.
Added to this are possible future carbon projects in agriculture and increasing demands from retailers and consumers to know the carbon footprint of their products. Taken together there are powerful commercial reasons why reducing emissions from the agricultural sector makes sense.
The model we are promoting puts the emphasis on a decentralized network rather than bricks and mortar. It will link researchers at the country level. It will be driven by the science community, with some political oversight to give strategic guidance. There is no organization today that brings together research into reducing emissions from agriculture in this way.
Through a Global Alliance we can find solutions faster, make better use of the money that is being spent around the world and encourage other countries and companies to do more in this as yet untapped area. Growing food without growing emissions can become a reality.
Mr. Groser is New Zealand minister of trade and associate minister for climate-change issues.