“Baseless claims about me, Stefan fölster’s”
“Reply from Johan Rockström about environmental policy and science”
“This is an opinion piece. It is the writer who stands for the views that are put forward in the text, not Against.”
“REPLICA. To begin with, I don’t know where Stefan fölster’s obtained its epithet of me as ”a movement is related to researchers”, which, of course, is frivolous. “
“I leads and conducts interdisciplinary global environmental research, I actively communicate to political actors of all colours, in recent years, especially during the M-leader Fredrik reinfeldt’s leadership (Framtidskommissionen) and S-leader Stefan Löfven (National innovation council).”
“Then he claims that I ”completely avoids the question” if that organic agriculture causes 50 to 70 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional agriculture. “
“to begin with, I have, among other things, lead to the EAT-Lancet commission, which recently published his report in the Lancet on sustainable and healthy food, has shown that there is much empirical evidence that sustainable intensification of agriculture, in order to build organic carbon in the soil, increase water retention and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, has great potential, both for increasing yields, and make them better equipped to handle the klimatextremer. “
“I was co-author in a recent study, which was led by Jules Pretty, University of Essex, confirming the potential to increase the productivity and sustainability at the same time. “
“When Stefan fölster’s claim that organic farming causes 50 per cent higher emissions that conventional agriculture, he draws far-reaching and generalizing a conclusion from a study published in Nature in december 2018. “
“This study, with researchers from Chalmers university of technology, and researcher in my own institute in Germany, the Potsdam institute (we have used our biosfärsmodell, LPJml), do not provide support for Fölsters claim that draws all organic farming over a comb. “
“There is an example in the study, which is based on the cultivation of peas and wheat in Sweden. The method used in the study is based on the assumption that if a production system produces lower crop, than in the case of conventional farming, so it will theoretically mean that there is a need for more land to produce the same amount of food. “
“This ”alternativkostnadsmodell” is a method to calculate the carbon footprint from different farming system. It is popular in other contexts also, when some economists conclude that it is not necessarily effective to reduce the use of oil within the country’s borders, since it theoretically can increase consumption elsewhere. “
“This is a linear thinking, which does not take into account the dynamic effects of, for example, technological progress, political decisions on emissions trading, or behavioural changes, which in absolute terms change in demand. “
“What is it that says that organic yields of wheat, which only reaches up to 80 percent of conventional yields in Sweden, must necessarily mean a 20 per cent increase in imports and production of wheat from some other country with worse odlingsegenskaper? “
“The dynamic effect may, rather, is that the price of wheat goes up slightly, which means that we throw away less, and on the total consume 80 percent of the production of common wheat…”
“This means that we actually don’t know if organic is better or worse than the conventional (when it comes to the absorption of carbon), if we instead look at what is important, namely what happens at the farmer’s field. “
“What we do know, however, with certainty, is that sustainable agriculture, which draws lessons from both organic and conventional agriculture, can increase yields, contribute to healthier lives for people, and the richer diversity of everything from microbes in the soil to the insects in the living landscape. “
“nJohan Rockström, professor of Earth System Science, University of Potsdam. Head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research”
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