The dynamics of beef trade between Brazil and Russia and their environmental implications

TY - JOUR

T1 - The dynamics of beef trade between Brazil and Russia and their environmental implications

AU - Schierhorn, Florian

AU - Meyfroidt, Patrick

AU - Kastner, Thomas

AU - Kuemmerle, Tobias

AU - Prishchepov, Alexander

AU - Müller, Daniel

PY - 2016/12/1

Y1 - 2016/12/1

N2 - Changes in the production or consumption of agricultural commodities in one place can drastically affect land use and the environment elsewhere. We show how changes in beef production and consumption in Russia following the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991 contributed to the emergence of a beef trade linkage between Brazil and Russia. We argue that the decline of Russian beef production after 1991, the rebound of domestic consumption since the late 1990s, the global beef trade constellation of the early 2000s, and the booming Brazilian cattle sector during the same periods forged a strong and lasting telecoupling in the beef trade between Brazil and Russia. As a result, Russia became the largest importer of both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions embodied in Brazilian beef exports since the 2000s. Our review exemplifies how the combination of institutional and socioeconomic shocks along with major changes in global markets can couple food systems and redistribute environmental footprints across long distances. Incorporating telecouplings in assessments of sustainable food systems is therefore important.

AB - Changes in the production or consumption of agricultural commodities in one place can drastically affect land use and the environment elsewhere. We show how changes in beef production and consumption in Russia following the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991 contributed to the emergence of a beef trade linkage between Brazil and Russia. We argue that the decline of Russian beef production after 1991, the rebound of domestic consumption since the late 1990s, the global beef trade constellation of the early 2000s, and the booming Brazilian cattle sector during the same periods forged a strong and lasting telecoupling in the beef trade between Brazil and Russia. As a result, Russia became the largest importer of both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions embodied in Brazilian beef exports since the 2000s. Our review exemplifies how the combination of institutional and socioeconomic shocks along with major changes in global markets can couple food systems and redistribute environmental footprints across long distances. Incorporating telecouplings in assessments of sustainable food systems is therefore important.

KW - Amazon

KW - Brazil

KW - Emissions

KW - Globalization

KW - Land use change

KW - Telecouplings

U2 - 10.1016/j.gfs.2016.08.001

DO - 10.1016/j.gfs.2016.08.001

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:84996479929

SN - 2211-9124

VL - 11

SP - 84

EP - 92

JO - Global Food Security

JF - Global Food Security

ER -