European Commission logo
GLOBIOM

Global Biosphere Management Model

AgricultureEnvironmentagricultureland useforestrybioenergy

policy support

policy role

The GLOBIOM approach is strongly grounded in the idea that the production of food, forest fibre, and bioenergy, must be analysed and planned in an integrated way across agriculture, forestry, and bioenergy sectors. GLOBIOM can be used to explore the various trade-offs and synergies around land use and ecosystem services, and helps scientists and policy makers understand and minimize land use and resource competition through more holistic thinking.

GLOBIOM can advise on a number of policy questions, for example: 

  • Capability of the agricultural system to supply future food demand and other societal services; 
  • Future agricultural land requirements and other pressures of the agricultural system on the environment (water needs, nitrogen); 
  • Trends in future deforestation and the impact of measures to reduce deforestation and forest degradation; 
  • Future greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector and from land use change; 
  • The potential contribution of bioenergy to climate change mitigation; 
  • Assess the current and future demand and supply of water for irrigation;  
  • The relative costs and benefits of importing or exporting food and raw materials; 
  • The profitability, incentives, and impacts of changing agricultural management practices; and
  • Adaptation of agriculture to future climate change.

The model was initially developed mostly for integrated assessment of climate change mitigation policies in land based sectors, including biofuels, and is increasingly being implemented also for agricultural and timber markets foresight, and economic impacts analysis of climate change and adaptation. 

policy cycle

This model contributes to the following phases of the policy cycle

policy areas

This model can contribute to the following policy areas

Agriculture and rural development
Banking and financial services
Borders and security
Budget
Business and industry
Climate action
Competition
Consumers
Culture and media
Customs
Digital economy and society
EU enlargement
Economy, finance and the euro
Education and training
Employment and social affairs
Energy
Environment
European neighbourhood policy
Food safety
Foreign affairs and security policy
Fraud prevention
Home affairs
Humanitarian aid and civil protection
Institutional affairs
International cooperation and development
Justice and fundamental rights
Maritime affairs and fisheries
Migration and asylum
Public health
Regional policy
Research and innovation
Single market
Sport
Taxation
Trade
Transport
Youth

impact assessments

Starting from July 2017, this model supported the ex-ante impact assessments of the European Commission listed below.

  1. 06 February 2024
  2. 30 November 2022
  3. 14 July 2021
  4. 17 September 2020