Summary
This study examines whether agriculture-related environment-related provisions (Ag-ERPs) in regional trade agreements (RTAs) are linked to reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. Using a newly developed dataset, the authors analyse Ag-ERPs across RTAs notified to the WTO from 1995 to 2019, covering 195 countries and territories. The research uses panel data and mediation analysis to explore the impact of Ag-ERPs on agricultural emissions, considering domestic environmental regulations and changes in agricultural land use. The authors also provide additional results for protected areas, forest areas and fish catch.
Results show that RTAs with more Ag-ERPs are significantly associated with lower agriculture-related GHG emissions, partly due to stricter domestic regulations and reduced land use. However, much of the effect remains unexplained, indicating that cleaner agricultural production methods may also be at play; the study suggests that including Ag-ERPs in trade agreements could be an important tool for climate mitigation in agriculture.