MAGNET model

Model collaboration starts with collaborating modellers! In #wur we applies many #models to address #synergies and #tradeoffs in the transformation towards a #circular and #climateneutral society. In the Model Assessment of Synergies and Tradeoffs (MAST) project, we addressed several methodological issues in #modelling and #modelcollaboration, with a broad application within the domain of all the researcher institutes of Wageningen University & Research. Proud to share this video which highlights the essence of our work in the past two years. Find more information on the WUR KB MAST project website: https://lnkd.in/eFP6CWDn Graphical designer of the infographics: Steffie Padmos https://lnkd.in/esU6MeKk Video produced by our colleague Naomi Dam. Scenario development Pim Post, Elbersen Berien Model linkage Pepijn van Oort, Erwin Mollenhorst Model development and quality @VincentHin, Thomas Hagenaars Data exchange Erwin Mollenhorst, Eugene Westerhof Multi-model analysis Saeed Moghayer, Pim Post Indicators Iris Vural Gursel, Elbersen Berien Raymond Jongschaap Geerten Hengeveld Fred Beekmans Jene Van der Heide

Iam pleased to let you know that the final open access version of our article European Green Bonds, carbon tax and crowding-out: the economic, social and environmental impacts of the EU’s green investments under different financing scenarios is now available online. Highlights are: • Green energy investments lead to emission reduction at low economic costs or even with economic benefits. • The most positive GDP impact is achieved with European Green Bonds as a main financing mechanism. • Green energy investments provide positive social spillovers and have a positive impact on the bioeconomy as a whole. • Technology learnings are crucial for the emission saving effect of green investments and enhance positive economic effects. • The CO2 taxation is an effective instrument to speed up the energy transition, however at the cost of higher energy prices. #MAGNETeer https://lnkd.in/euUEr5bB

I am very happy to share our new paper “Socio-economic, environmental and health impacts of dietary transformation in Bangladesh”.  Using the MAGNET model, we found that promoting a diet with more plant-based proteins has a strong positive impact on dietary health and an overall positive impact on the environment compared to the business-as-usual scenario in Bangladesh. In addition, the transition to sustainable and healthy diets had minor impacts on the wages of low-skilled workers, Bangladesh’s self-sufficiency, and the affordability of food and cereals.  This paper was part of the CGIAR initiative Sustainable Healthy Diets Through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT). I want to thank my co-authors Michiel Van Dijk, Marijke Kuiper, Willem-Jan van Zeist, Heleen Bartelings, Arefin Mizan and Hans Van Meijl for their contribution. Wageningen University & Research Wageningen Social & Economic Research https://lnkd.in/eiYuUFK3

Over the past decades, global demand for animal products has surged 📈, driven by a growing population and changing diets. Animals emit greenhouse gasses and waste directly, causing environmental issues 🌱, but the challenges don't stop there. To meet growing demand, large areas of agricultural land are required for livestock feed. These lands must be tilled, fertilized, and treated with pesticides, contributing to climate change 🔥, eutrophication, and biodiversity loss 🌿. Additionally, as feed is increasingly traded internationally, the environmental impacts often occur far from where the feed is consumed 🌍. In her thesis, M.Sc. student Olivia Hinz examines the trade-linked effects of livestock feed on biodiversity. Her findings highlight that a significant share of key feed crops is traded globally. For example: ~20% of maize and wheat, and ~85% of soybeans used for feed in Europe, are imported from other continents. This underscores the urgent need for trade-sensitive conservation policies to protect biodiversity on a global scale. 🌎

Germany and the EU heavily rely on soy imports, mainly from Brazil, to fuel their meat and dairy industries. Substituting those imports with local feed, as often called for, would be most likely detrimental to global land use. To remedy this, the solution is simple: eat less meat and dairy!  📈 The EU (Germany) imported 39 (5) Mio. tonnes of soya from overseas in 2020. 💡 Globally, only 20% of soy is used for human consumption (13% in the form of vegetable oil). The rest is mainly used as animal feed. 🛳️ All else equal, a simple shift in protein feed sourcing would interfere with international comparative advantages, and production would be reallocated to regions with relatively lower yields, increasing global land use.   🍽️ In contrast, eating less animal-sourced foods is helping to reduce the global land use footprint.

🌍 Excited to announce that I received an NWO SEP grant to continue my research activities in the CGIAR Better Diets and Nutrition Science Program (which includes the current #SHiFT_Initiative)🌱 For the coming four years, I aim to further develop a Foresight for Food System Transformation (F4FST) approach, which integrates stakeholder engagement and simulation modeling to assess socio-economic, health and environmental trade-offs across multiple scales, focusing on Vietnam and Ethiopia. Looking forward to collaborating with colleagues, partners and stakeholders on this transformative journey! 🌏 Wageningen Economic Research Wageningen University & Research MAGNET model NWO (Dutch Research Council)

🌳🌳🌳 We are thrilled to look back on a successful 3rd #ForestNavigator Annual Meeting in Potsdam last week! 🌳🌳🌳 A big thank you to all our partners for the fruitful discussions and collaborative spirit. We celebrated key achievements and discussed ongoing work and challenges in several breakout sessions. Tomáš Krejzar, member of the Policy Steering Committee #PSC presented valuable updates on policies during the meeting.