Dr. Rogier Schulte:

Is Harvest 2020 in conflict with greenhouse gas reduction targets? There are significant differences between the reductions set out for 2020 and 2050 by the National Economic and Social Council, NESC. One is the metrics. The accounting methodology specified by the IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is restrictive in what can be counted or not. For example, carbon sequestration in soils and afforestation cannot be accredited to the agricultural sector. That restricts what agriculture can do within the current inventories.

The other difference is that 2020 is only seven years away. To achieve reductions, we will be using known technologies. For the 2050 target, we can be far more ambitious for the same reason. The NESC asks us to think outside the current accounting methodologies to get to carbon neutrality scientifically. That gave us a lot more freedom to bring in concepts like afforestation, bio-energy and other measures. There is a research pipeline for the next 37 years to investigate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock systems. Some of them will be rolled out next year and others are still at the laboratory stage.

Flat-lining emissions under the Harvest 2020 is no mean feat. It will be a significant achievement with the current accounting guidelines and technologies. It will not happen by itself either.