We won’t tackle climate change without transforming food systems

Today the IPCC report on climate mitigation was published. Building on the outcomes of the paper on adaptation just weeks ago, it’s abundantly clear that scientists and governments agree that the world is off-track to meet our climate goals, and we are missing big opportunities to take action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our forests, food and farming in addition to dramatic action in our energy systems.

The way we produce, process, package, ship, shop for, eat, and waste food is pushing the health of people, animals, and the planet to the limits. Food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste account for nearly a third of total global GHG emissions. Yet, food systems are startlingly absent from many countries’ official national emissions-reduction plans.

Ahead of this launch, the Global Alliance published Untapped Opportunities for Climate Action: Food Systems in Nationally Determined Contributions — a big research effort to assess how 14 countries — including China, Germany, Kenya, Senegal, the UK, and the US — have incorporated food systems in their national climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The bottom line is that none of them do so enough, and there is significant room for improvement.

With a focus on lifting up solutions, we also published a new practical guide designed to help users incorporate food systems into their future plans. We’ve also pulled together a case study report showcasing a groundswell of individuals and organizations taking action, mitigating the worst of the climate crisis through food systems transformation, and showing us what can be done:

• China has developed food systems-related measures to fight climate change, such as the waste-free city model and the ten technology models for emission reduction and carbon sequestration in agriculture and rural areas. Furthermore, there are a growing number of local initiatives leading the way such as the Good Food Fund, which is spearheading a shift toward plant-based diets as a way to reduce China’s food-based GHG emissions and normalize healthy, sustainable, and diverse plant-based foods. They are doing this in many creative, engaging ways: by hosting annual food summits, adding plant-based recipes to China’s most popular cooking app, and creating Chinese characters to describe plant-based food and vegetarianism.
• Over half of Germany’s land area is used for agriculture, and the government has set a target to double organic farming by 2050 to 30% of all farming. Through the Organic Metropolis Nuremberg initiative, the city of Nuremberg is promoting organic farming and demand for organic food across the region, to reduce GHG emissions and improve public health. Measures include using public procurement policies, which have increased access to organic foods in local schools, canteens and hospitals, while marketing and events have helped drive public demand for organic food.
• Land use, forestry and agriculture constitutes 75% of Kenya’s GHG emissions. At the same time 51% of the population lack access to adequate food. Kenya’s NDC includes measures to build climate resilience through sustainable land use management, the provision of safety nets, and extension services, as well as access to finance specifically targeted at marginalized communities. At the same time, local leadership such as by Sylvia Kuria of Sylvia’s Basket, which is connecting smallholders organic food producers directly with customers, which is improving incomes and providing access to healthy and nutritious foods to all Kenyans.
• Senegal is integrating policies on health, poverty reduction, malnutrition, clean energy and gender in its climate plans. For example, the government has set up a National Domestic Biogas Programme. 52,000 biodigesters — tanks that transform organic waste into cooking gas — are providing homes with a sustainable, safe alternative to traditional fuels and biofertilizers for better soil quality.
• Tackling dietary inequalities and the root causes of food poverty is key to meeting the UK climate change targets. In the UK, the cost of healthier food is nearly three times as expensive as less healthy food. If UK diets met the UK’s recommended dietary standards, GHG emissions from food would drop by 17%. The Food Foundation’s Children’s Right2Food campaign aims to ensure all children across the UK have access to healthy food. The campaign was brought to national attention with the support of footballer Marcus Rashford and has helped achieve government policy change, with the expansion of free school meals provision.
• 30% of all food in the United States went unsold or uneaten in 2019. That equates to $408 billion worth of food and roughly 2% of the American GDP. Addressing food waste will cut GHG emissions from food lost in the supply chain and wasted by the public. ReFed, which aims to halve food waste by 2030, has created an online knowledge hub that supports people and organizations across the United States to take action on food waste and loss.

As we look forward to COP27 this November, governments and world leaders need to start looking at how transforming food systems to be healthy and sustainable is a critical tool for driving down emissions, smartly directing climate finance, and preventing catastrophic levels of warming as well as building greater economic and ecosystem resilience. Our work confirms that food systems deliver on both adaptation and mitigation goals — and so much more alongside!

Food systems reform offers accessible wins, so, there is no good reason for countries not to include it in their NDCs. Now is the time to build a better — and more equitable, sustainable and healthy future of food for all.