Food on the table finally!

As the dust settles on CoP28, the 28th gathering of policymakers on climate, it’s the actions that countries take in the months to come that will decide whether we succeed in avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. While many commentators fear that the consensus achieved in Dubai doesn’t go far enough, it is a step in the right direction. There is another reason for us to celebrate CoP28. After 27 years of the issue of food being the elephant in the room, the conference included an official Food Day and a Presidency Declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action.

It has been apparent for many years that keeping global warming within the ‘safe’ limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius depends on understanding the powerful role that food systems play. As much as a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally are caused by food and the way we produce it, the majority of which is associated with agriculture and deforestation to make way for new farmland. The livestock sector produces more greenhouse gases than the direct emissions of the world’s planes, trains, and cars combined.

Despite these facts, world leaders and policymakers have been slow to focus on the food and agriculture sectors as priority areas for climate action. Thanks to the efforts of many, including the partnership between the UAE CoP28 Presidency and the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, the situation is changing. The Presidency Declaration affirms that “agriculture and food systems must urgently adapt and transform in order to respond to the imperatives of climate change.” As many as 158 countries have signed, including China, the EU, and the US.

Complementing the Presidency Declaration, 200 non-state actors, including farmers, businesses, non-government organisations, philanthropists, and cities, signed “Transforming Our Food Systems: A Call to Action on Food Systems for People, Nature, and Climate.”
But how should food systems transform?

A clear priority is to reduce both the production and consumption of animal-sourced foods. Animal farming uses over three-quarters of our agricultural land. Around 40% of land is used to grow crops that feed animals, yet animals provide only 18% of the calories and 37% of the protein in our diets. Overconsumption of animal-sourced foods increases soil erosion, deforestation, and biodiversity loss and the water footprint of food. Around 70% of the world’s antibiotics are given to farmed animals, contributing to antibiotic resistance, which is predicted to kill 10 million people a year by 2050. Pollution from animal agriculture directly harms human health, and the consumption of animal-sourced foods, particularly red and processed meat, increases the risk of certain cancers, coronary heart disease, stroke, and type II diabetes, as well as obesity.

Post-CoP28, India is at a pivotal point in transitioning to sustainable food systems, leveraging its vast agricultural sector and rich culinary traditions. Adopting regenerative farming, which boosts biodiversity, soil health, and water conservation, is well-suited to India’s diverse environment.

A shift towards plant-based diets, aligning with many Indians’ existing eating habits, can significantly lower the nation’s carbon footprint. Simultaneously, India must focus on making its food systems equitable and resilient, ensuring access to resources for all, especially in marginalised communities, and creating robust systems to endure economic and climatic changes.

The insights from CoP28 present an opportunity for India to develop an environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially equitable food system, contributing to a healthier, more resilient future.

(Mehrotra is the founder of Samayu, a non-profit. Lymbery is an award-winning author of Sixty Harvests Left and the Global CEO of Compassion in World Farming International)