In this paper, Hanne Knaepen examines the coherence of European agri-food policies – both domestic and international – with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, particularly the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and shares eight actionable recommendations.
Summary
This paper assesses the coherence of European agri-food policies – both domestic and international – with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, particularly the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
It examines two dimensions: temporal coherence, analysing how alignment between agri-food and climate objectives has evolved over time; and external coherence, assessing whether sector-specific agri-food goals support or undermine global climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
The temporal analysis shows a widening gap: early ambitions have steadily weakened, leading to increasing misalignment with climate commitments. Externally, current EU agri-food policies are not Paris-compatible and fall short of the requirements to meet global climate imperatives.
The paper concludes with eight actionable recommendations to realign EU agri-food policy with the Paris goals, strengthening policy coherence within the EU and reducing negative spillover effects in partner countries.
About the Author:
Dr Hanne Knaepen is the head of ECDPM’s climate action and green transition team.