International Report: The Global Food System Undermines Efforts to Combat Climate Change
International experts warned in a new report that the global food production system poses a major obstacle to achieving the goals of limiting global warming, at a time when billions of people suffer from a lack of healthy nutrition.
The report issued by the "EAT-Lancet" Commission, which includes international experts aiming to provide healthy nutrition while preserving the planet, stated that current food production processes are responsible for about 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
The report confirmed that food systems alone could thwart the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, even if the global transition to clean energy succeeds.
As a way out of this crisis, experts propose a shift to what they call the "planetary health diet," which combines health and environmental benefits. This system could prevent about 15 million premature deaths annually related to diseases caused by malnutrition.
This system is based on increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes, while consuming moderate amounts of eggs, fish, and poultry, and significantly reducing the consumption of red meat, especially from ruminants.
To achieve this transition, the report calls for a comprehensive restructuring of the food production sector, including reducing ruminant meat production by one-third, increasing the production of fruits, vegetables, and nuts by two-thirds, in addition to adopting sustainable agricultural practices and reducing food waste.
Professor Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute in Germany and one of the report's authors, explained that "reshaping food systems represents a massive environmental and social challenge, but it is a prerequisite for our opportunity to return to a safe climate system and a healthy planet."
The report emphasized the social aspect, calling for fair wages and safe working conditions for all workers in the food sector, and involving small farmers, indigenous peoples, and women in decision-making processes.
The report concluded that food has become the most influential factor in exceeding the planet's environmental boundaries, necessitating an urgent shift towards a more sustainable and equitable food system.
