Key Takeaways
- Potential of Plant-Based System: Transitioning to a plant-based food system could feed the world using significantly less land and allow for the rewilding of a vast majority of agricultural land.
- Need for Policy Change: Despite the rising global meat consumption, food policy has not evolved sufficiently in the past 30 years, lagging behind other areas like energy policy.
- Neglect of Key Factors: Our system overlooks crucial aspects such as food security, sustainability, and community health.
Overview of the Global Food System’s Impact
A new report presented by the Plant-Based Treaty at COP28 offers a comprehensive plan to reduce the world’s food system’s considerable impact on climate change. This plan focuses on transitioning from animal-based agriculture to plant-based systems. The current food system affects all nine “planetary boundaries,” crucial for maintaining the Earth’s stability. Remarkably, it is also the most significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding all transportation forms combined. Moreover, it often neglects vital factors such as food security, sustainability, and community health.
The Plant-Based Opportunity
According to the report, a shift to a plant-based food system presents an opportunity to feed the world on just 1 billion hectares of land and rewild three-quarters of the land currently used for agriculture. Report co-author Steven George emphasizes that eliminating fossil fuels alone won’t suffice; food emissions could still jeopardize the 1.5°C and 2°C climate targets.
The report, co-authored by Plant-Based Treaty’s Global Campaign Coordinator Anita Krajnc, highlights that global per capita meat consumption has increased significantly since the 1980s. Yet, food policy remains approximately 30 years behind energy policy. COP28 saw food systems finally gaining attention, but the focus fell short of the urgent need for a plant-based agricultural revolution. The report integrates economist Kate Raworth’s “Doughnut Economics” model, which combines social and planetary boundaries, offering a framework for equitable and sustainable human living.
Featuring 40 detailed proposals, the report outlines a plan for a global transition to plant-based diets. This shift could significantly reduce greenhouse gases, land use, and ocean acidification, helping humanity live within planetary boundaries.
About Plant-Based Treaty
Established in 2021, the Plant Based Treaty aims to transform the global food system by adhering to relinquishing, redirecting, and restoring principles. The treaty seeks to halt the degradation of critical ecosystems caused by animal agriculture. Gaining endorsements from cities like Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Los Angeles, the treaty has also attracted over 120,000 individual supporters, including 5 Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, and over 3,000 groups and businesses.
Image provided by Plant Based Treaty
