This briefing note provides a brief overview of the main impacts of the agricultural sector on greenhouse gas emissions. It identifies context-specific considerations for these impacts as well as broader social, economic, and environmental trade-offs, and discusses possible priorities and directions for reforming agricultural subsidies.
The briefing note draws on the latest data and recent reviews of existing literature together with major reports from international organizations. It was prepared to inform the discussions of the International Expert Group on Environmentally Harmful Subsidies, mobilized by TESS in 2024 and tasked with identifying a set of environmentally harmful subsidies for priority action at the international level. The final expert group report was published in 2025.
The findings are intended as guidance to policymakers and to serve as a basis to promote open discussion on possible cooperative action in this area at the WTO, OECD, FAO, G20, and in the context of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Anthony Cox is Senior Policy Advisor, Ecologic Institute.
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Recommended citation: Cox, A. (2025). Identifying and tackling environmentally harmful agricultural subsidies in the WTO – Note on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS).
