Ghana - Net emissions from annual cocoa deforestation
Years available: 2014-2021
Data last updated: 28 Jul 2025
This metric estimates the annual net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with cocoa-driven deforestation expressed in tonnes of CO₂-equivalent. Net emissions are calculated as the difference between gross emissions from the loss of above- and below-ground biomass in undisturbed forests converted to cocoa plantations and carbon sequestration in cocoa and shade trees (Vervuurt et al., 2022), excluding soil carbon and forest degradation. To link emissions to cocoa exports, the metric applies a four-year lag between deforestation and the first cocoa harvest. Estimates are based on cocoa plantation maps (Kalischek et al., 2023) and tropical forest loss data from the EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021). Values for recent years may change in future dataset updates as recent forest disturbance is reclassified over time.
- (Kalischek et al., 2023; Soto-Navarro et al., 2020; Vancutsem et al., 2021; Vervuurt et al., 2022)
- Kalischek, N., Lang, N., Renier, C., Daudt, R. C., Addoah, T., Thompson, W., Blaser-Hart, W. J., Garrett, R., Schindler, K., & Wegner, J. D. (2023). Cocoa plantations are associated with deforestation in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Nature Food, 4(5), 384–393. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00751-8
- Soto-Navarro, C., Ravilious, C., Arnell, A. P., de Lamo, X., Harfoot, M. B. J., Hill, S. L. L., Wearn, O. R., Santoro, M., Bouvet, A., Mermoz, S., Le Toan, T., Xia, J., Liu, S., Yuan, W., Spawn, S. A., Gibbs, H. K., Ferrier, S., Harwood, T., Alkemade, R., … Kapos, V. (2020). Above and below ground biomass carbon [Dataset]. UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). https://doi.org/10.34892/RH7V-HG80
- Vancutsem, C., Achard, F., Pekel, J.-F., Vieilledent, G., Carboni, S., Simonetti, D., Gallego, J., Aragão, L. E. O. C., & Nasi, R. (2021). Long-term (1990–2019) monitoring of forest cover changes in the humid tropics. Science Advances, 7(10), eabe1603. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe1603
- Vervuurt, W., Slingerland, M. A., Pronk, A. A., & Van Bussel, L. G. J. (2022). Modelling greenhouse gas emissions of cacao production in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. Agroforestry Systems, 96(2), 417–434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-022-00729-8
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