Transforming food systems around the world could cut the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than half, according to a new analysis.
The study by the EAT-Lancet Commission warns food systems currently account for nearly a third (30%) of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
It also warns that even with a complete global transition away from fossil fuels, food systems could still push temperatures beyond the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold, outlined in the Paris Agreement.
“No safe solution to climate and biodiversity crisis is possible without a global food systems transformation,” the report states.
The report claims reshaping food systems could deliver returns of $5 trillion a year through better health, restored ecosystems, and climate resilience.
But it adds achieving these goals requires urgent policy action, dietary consumption transformation, and a realignment of global financial incentives to support just, resilient, and sustainable food systems.
The commission’s co-chair and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Johan Rockström said the transformation could bring the sector’s estimated 2050 greenhouse gas emissions down from 7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year down to below 3 billion, in an online press conference.
Rockström added the study provides the clearest guidance on how to feed 10 billion people “nutritiously, equitably and within planetary boundaries” while also highlighting the scale of the challenge.
He said even if food waste is drastically reduced, more sustainable land and water management practices are adopted, and the agricultural sector moves away from fossil fuels, the global food system is barely able to return to within “Earth’s safe operating space”.
“This report just shows how rapidly we must move in the right direction, but the benefits to close this are tremendous.
“We assess the transformation can generate an annual return of over $5 trillion US dollars in health, climate resilience and restored ecosystems.”
The report also argues for a fairer distribution of resources, benefits, and costs is required to ensure that food systems are sustainable for both people and the planet.
This includes the social foundations that enable people’s right to food, decent work, and a healthy environment.
And the Commission maintains that truly effective transformation must consider both social foundations and planetary boundaries to create a safe and just future for everyone.
Based on the report’s findings, the commission has outlined various potential solutions aimed at advancing health, environmental, and justice goals, including protecting and promoting traditional healthy diets and implement sustainable production practices which store carbon, create habitat, and improve water quality.
Another commission co-chair, Professor Walter C. Willett, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the report’s findings reinforce that the planetary health diet is good for both people and the planet, in a statement.
Professor Willett added by increasing the production and consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, we can improve health outcomes everywhere while respecting cultural and regional traditions.
“But diets are just one part of the picture, and transformation requires action across the whole system,” he said.
“The eight solutions we set out provide a practical roadmap to unlock transformation at scale. We are at a global crossroads, and governments, businesses, civil society, and individuals all have a role to play in realigning food systems for the benefit of all people and the planet.”