Nov 29 2018
Since COP24 is slated to start next week—in parallel to meetings held on November 29th, 2018 in relation to food security at the European Commission and FAO/IFPRI in Bangkok—at present, there is a crucially significant opportunity to drive collective action across the world to revolutionize global food systems and mitigate climate change.
On November 29th, 2018, 130 national academies of science and medicine have joined to urge policymakers to take prompt action on climate change to enhance the sustainability of global food systems. In a new, extensive report, titled “Opportunities for future research and innovation on food and nutrition security and agriculture: The InterAcademy Partnership’s global perspective,” the researchers call for an end to usual routines and urge leaders to opt to use science to push innovation and inform policy.
Our food systems are failing us. Next week at COP24, we need to see leaders take action on climate change and go beyond political statements. It is not only the environment that is at stake, but health, nutrition, trade, jobs and the economy. Agriculture and consumer choices are major factors driving disastrous climate change. We need a robust and ambitious policy response to address the climate impacts of agriculture and consumer choices - and scientists have a major role to play. Our new report is a wake-up call to leaders.
Joachim von Braun, Professor, Co-Chair of the IAP project on Food and Nutrition Security and Agriculture, President of the Pontifical Academy of Science, and Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn.
The year 2018 has exposed exactly the extent to which food systems are vulnerable to extreme weather and other outcomes of human-induced climate change. Furthermore, agriculture, land-use, and forestry change alone—without including food transport and other energy-intensive processes—contribute about 20%–25% to annual global emissions. According to the latest Special Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is evident that an increase in global temperature by 2 °C must be prevented by all means.
In 2018, it was noted by FAO that there has been a continuous increase in the absolute number of malnourished people, between 2016 and 2017, and there is a miss in other nutrition targets as well. Climate extremes and variability are threatening to erode and reverse previous gains made. The trend toward achieving calories in food production has been leading to health challenges, such as obesity. Climate change is intensifying food and nutrition insecurity and inequalities.
“This is no time for business as usual. In addition to climate change, our current food systems are negatively impacting people’s health around the globe. High-calorie diets have become cheaper, and this has serious implications for public health, obesity, and malnutrition. Science is critical to tackling the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, hunger and health.”
Volker ter Meulen, MD, Professor, Co-Chair of the IAP Project on Food and Agriculture, President of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)
There is an emergent need to fortify evidence-based policies and programs and invest in overcoming the most crucial challenges of the present day: moderating climate change by means of modifications to food production and consumption, and making sure that globally people have access to affordable, nutritious, and environmentally sustainable food. These challenges are crucial not only for health and the environment but also for the global economy, trade, and jobs. Incentives for consumers to modify their diets, climate-smart agriculture, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative foods together with rigorous social science are essential for addressing the key factors responsible for the failing global food system.
What are the types of modifications that ought to be made?
Climate-smart food systems
The InterAcademy Partnership urges a transformation to climate-smart food systems. Meanwhile, restricting the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture alone will not be adequate to fix the effect of food systems on climate change.
Incentives for consumers to change their diets
People should be offered incentives—informed by evidence—to enhance their diets, for public health—including nutrition and obesity—as well as for the environment. It is necessary for policymakers to clearly perceive the drivers of demand and look for means to change consumer behavior, such as the acceptance of novel foods and novel diets. In addition, policymakers have to help consumers perceive and weigh the environmental implications of food choices. Moreover, the reduction of food waste should be made a priority: it is a major opportunity with considerable advantages for climate and the environment.
Innovative foods
Policymakers and other leaders should make ambitious attempts to influence consumer behaviors that lead to the generation of greenhouse gas emissions. Modifications to dietary consumption could give rise co-benefits to health and climate, for example, limiting the consumption of meat in certain regions such as Europe or increasing innovative foods and diets. Some examples of innovative foods are algae, meat-mushroom mixes, appealing insect-based foods, and lab-grown meat.
Collaboration between natural science and social science
It is necessary to translate research to applied innovation; however, this will need stronger connections across disciplines and with science education, cutting-edge technologies, training, and outreach. It is a must for basic research and life sciences to cooperate much more closely with social science and policy research on nutrition, food, and agriculture.
New international science advisory mechanism
IAP advocates for the creation of an international advisory panel on food and nutrition security and agriculture, to include participation by academies and to fortify international governance mechanisms.
The scale of the challenge
A most recent assessment by the UN (FAO et al., 2017) reveals that the number of chronically malnourished people across the globe increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016. Considerably more people suffer from micronutrient deficiency and from disorders related to overweight or obesity. Specifically, in parts of Western Asia, South-East Asia, and Africa, the food security status has worsened evidently in situations of conflict and in combination with floods or droughts.
These expanding causes of food insecurity related to conflict and climate highlight the need to include more social sciences, health, and climate sciences in the global nutrition, food, and agriculture research agenda to perceive the challenges and the options for their resolution. It is not possible for agricultural production to expand infinitely: there is a crucial necessity to prevent further depletion of ecosystem services and biodiversity. The World Bank has noted that roughly 11% of the Earth’s land is used for arable purposes—i.e., under cultivation—with a larger percentage (greater one-third) being for agriculture (including pasture and grazed forest lands).
Source: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/international-issues/international-academy-associations/easac/