Abstract
Increasing demand for agricultural crops and a decline in the rate of yield improvements will require expansion of cropland (extensification), resulting in a loss of carbon storage. This paper uses global, spatially explicit data to analyze how extensification can be located to meet crop demand in a way that minimizes carbon losses under varying levels of intensification. Carbon-preserving extensification can reduce carbon loss by 7.3 billion tons compared to proportionally increasing extensification by 2050, valued at $1.3 trillion (2012 dollars) based on an estimated social cost of carbon of (~$181 per ton CO2).
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 579-592 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Land Economics |
Volume | 92 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2016 |