The 2025 update of the OECD's Policy Inventory for Mitigation Actions in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use sectors (PIMA-AFOLU) shows that about two-thirds of the measures of approximately 1,500 mitigation policies tracked rely on economic instruments, mainly subsidies, to encourage environmental practices through financial incentives or cost adjustments. The remaining third includes regulations and other instruments like research and development (R&D) initiatives.
Governments have used a broad set of policies to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors, which have the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) and to sequester carbon.
The PIMA-AFOLU database highlights the broad range of national strategies and policies with objectives that support climate change mitigation. These policy objectives either directly aim to support mitigation or support mitigation efforts through co-benefits, including assumed downstream effects. For example, a policy which sets nitrogen concentration limits in waterbodies may restrict agricultural fertiliser use around waterways, consequently reducing nitrous oxide emissions.
The PIMA-AFOLU database tracks policies from OECD members, other EU member states, G20 countries, and other emerging economies. Most AFOLU mitigation policies were introduced over the past 20 years. PIMA-AFOLU serves as a vital knowledge-sharing platform for policymakers, offering insights into climate action in land use sectors.
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