COP28: The biggest sustainable food and farming commitments
- Media Manager
- Dec 11, 2023
- 2 min read
Sustainability.
Written By: Kate Birch
Published: December 11th, 2023
Globally, food and farming contribute around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions
Danone, Nestle, Cargill among corporates at COP committing to financial pledges and research partnerships on sustainable farming and food production
It’s no secret that food plays a big part in the climate crisis.
Globally, food and farming contribute around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture.
And with the world’s population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, issues around food security and environmental impact are only likely to escalate.
“The way we produce and eat food causes 30% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, uses over 70% of the world’s freshwater, and is responsible for 80% of the deforestation and habitat loss in tropical areas,” Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, said during the opening days of COP28.
“If we don’t quickly find new, sustainable ways to produce and consume food, these problems will worsen in only a couple of decades.”
Put simply, to eliminate hunger and feed the world in a sustainable way, producers need to grow more food without driving the planet past the 1.5-degree limit for global warming.
While there is no single solution – the funding and scaling of sustainable farming methods is widely seen as a crucial way to accelerate the transition to net-zero, nature-positive transitions in food systems, while also ensuring the livelihoods of those farmers and communities most vulnerable to climate change.
“Countries must put food systems and agriculture at the heart of their climate ambitions, addressing both global emissions and protecting the lives and livelihoods of farmers living on the front line of climate change,” said Almheiri.
Negotiations at COP28 have risen to the challenge, with governments, private businesses and non-profits all delivering an array of commitments, investments and launches aimed at transitioning farming and food production to a more sustainable future.
