Global sector-specific Scope 1, 2, and 3 analyses for setting net-zero targets: agriculture, forestry, and processing harvested products

Abstract

The aim of this research was the development of global 1.5 °C net-zero pathways for specific industries as classified under the Global Industry Classification System (GICS). In this article, we described the analysis of the Agriculture & Food and Forestry & Wood Products categories to determine their industry-specific Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions on a global level. The accounting methodologies for Scope 3 emissions were developed for entity-level accounting and reporting. However, we suggested an alteration of the methodology for industry-wide Scope 3 analyses because of poor data availability and to avoid counting emissions twice. In this article, we described the calculation method and the key results for net-zero pathways for these two industry sectors. We showed that the decarbonization of the energy supply is possible for both sectors globally by 2050. We also described the land-use-related Scope 3 emissions for the agriculture and forestry sectors. The agricultural sector is unlikely to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, whereas the forest industry can become carbon negative.