Reimagining how we feed the world
The same food systems that humanity depends on are pushing us beyond the Earth’s planetary boundaries1, generating considerable health, environmental, and socio-economic challenges. By working together across the value chain to transform how food is grown, produced, processed, packaged, distributed, and consumed, we can create more secure, resilient, and sustainable food systems2.
We believe a complete national climate action plan3 must include holistic food considerations, and we welcomed the global agreement to improve food systems signed by 160 countries at COP28 in Dubai. This high-level declaration acknowledges that how the world grows and produces food is critical for reducing impacts on climate, nature and people, and improving the lives of vulnerable communities. Signatories commit to scale up solutions to address the impact of food and agricultural systems, setting a new foundation for the sustainable transformation of the global food system in the years ahead.
Unlocking the hidden middle
As countries ramp up to submit their updated national climate mitigation plans3 in early 2025, we join the climate and food systems community in calling for ambitious plans that will put the world back on track to achieve the Paris Agreement goals.
The transformation of food systems is crucial to addressing some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges: contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation, helping to reverse biodiversity loss, and delivering socio-economic benefits.
This is why we urge all governments to prioritise these transformations by implementing enabling-policies and financial incentives across the entire agri-food value chain, including the often-overlooked 'hidden middle' between the farm gate and the consumer.
Tetra Pak at Climate Week NYC
We are excited to attend Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event of its kind, where global food systems will be a core theme. The event will be critical for climate policy stakeholders and the private sector to share concrete ideas for the new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) developed by all parties to the Paris Agreement.
A preferable future for global food systems in 2040
Our white paper presents a scenario analysis on how food systems can drive ecological, social, and economic wellbeing on our planet, with a safe and just transition.
References
1 Planetary boundaries is a framework to describe the limits within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive Rockström, Johan; Steffen, Will; Noone, Kevin; Persson, Åsa; Chapin, F. Stuart; Lambin, Eric F.; Lenton, Timothy M.; Scheffer, Marten; Folke, Carl; Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim; Nykvist, Björn (2009). “A safe operating space for humanity”. Nature. 461 (7263): 472–475.
2 Sustainable food systems mean growing, producing, processing, packaging, distributing and consuming food without negatively impacting the planet. Retrieved from OECD. (2019). Accelerating Climate Action.
3 This refers to the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of the signatories to the Paris Agreement, which are central to the achievement of the agreement’s long-term goals. To learn more, see: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs