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UN agency urges western nations, including US, to curb meat consumption for climate goals.
Dec 01, 2023

The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) is set to unveil a groundbreaking global food systems' roadmap at the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai, scheduled to commence this Thursday and extend for almost two weeks until mid-December, reported Fox News. The report is anticipated to urge Western nations, including the United States, to significantly curb meat consumption as part of a broader initiative to combat greenhouse gas emissions, according to reports from Bloomberg.

Jeremy Coller, the chair and founder of the FAIRR Initiative, emphasized the need for increased policy focus on the food and agriculture sector, noting the failure of leading meat and dairy companies to reduce emissions. Coller stated, 'Food system emissions deserve a place at the top of the table, alongside energy and transport, as they represent an estimated third of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of methane.'

The FAO's unprecedented roadmap is expected to address not only meat consumption but also provide guidelines for farmers to adapt to erratic weather conditions and address emissions related to food waste and fertilizer use. While the recommendations may not be binding, the U.S. COP28 delegation is reportedly considering their endorsement.

The comprehensive roadmap aims to guide policy decisions on mitigating the climate impact of the global agriculture industry, a sector that has historically received less attention in past UN climate conferences. Previous COP summits primarily focused on emissions from the power, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.

Kaveh Zahedi, the director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, highlighted existing solutions such as agroforestry, soil restoration, sustainable livestock, and fisheries management. These solutions, Zahedi emphasized, offer multiple benefits, including support for biodiversity and food security.

According to a March 2021 study published in the Nature Food journal, the global food system, including land-use change, agricultural production, packaging, and waste management, contributes approximately 34% of total worldwide emissions, equivalent to 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. Livestock alone is responsible for around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to FAO data.

The UN has long advocated for a shift away from animal-based diets, citing their high impact on the planet. Choosing plant-based foods, the UN suggests, can reduce an individual's annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons. However, in the U.S., agriculture alone generates about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, according to federal data. The American agriculture sector, responsible for 1.4% of global emissions, has implemented various solutions, positioning it as the nation's lowest-emitting economic sector.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., defended American farmers, stating, 'America's farmers and ranchers are climate heroes, reducing emissions while providing abundant and affordable food, fiber, and fuel.' He cautioned against regulating producers out of business, emphasizing the essential role of American farmers in addressing global climate change.

The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that U.S. farmers achieve more than three times the production compared to their inputs, with significant emissions reductions in pork and beef production. In May, Chairman Thompson and a group of House Republicans criticized President Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry for singling out food emissions, calling on the administration to disavow the comments made at the Department of Agriculture's AIM for Climate Summit.

Kerry had remarked, 'Food systems themselves contribute a significant amount of emissions just in the way in which we do the things we've been doing.' He emphasized the importance of agriculture in achieving net-zero emissions and suggested that emissions from the food system alone could cause an additional half a degree of warming by mid-century.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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