Food campaigners are in talks with France, Germany and the UK about launching a sustainable farming alliance to tackle climate change.
The new alliance could be unveiled during the COP27 climate summit in Egypt this November. The plan is modelled on the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance led by Costa Rica and Denmark that was launched at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, pledging to phase out oil and gas production.
The United Arab Emirates has been identified as a prospective leader for the food initiative, as it is hosting the annual UN climate summit in 2023 and doesn鈥檛 have a strong domestic farming lobby. The creation of the alliance has been sparked by fears countries will use the food crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine聽as an excuse to row backwards on environmental commitments for farming.
Advertisement
The Food and Land Use Coalition is leading the push, backed by UK-based think tank Chatham House and other groups. of the Oslo-based non-profit group EAT, one of those groups, says the plan is 鈥渢o get progressive governments to actually commit to science-based targets, adapted to their geography and their context, and develop integrated food systems strategies, getting food systems into their national climate plans鈥�.
Exactly what governments will be committing to remains to be worked out, but a document being circulated by the scheme鈥檚 backers says it should build a consensus on 鈥渃oncrete measurable pathways鈥� for food systems compatible with the Paris Agreement鈥檚 1.5掳C climate change target.
Commitments are expected to differ from country to country. One example proposed for the European Union is that it would signal a renewed commitment not to renege on environmental commitments in its farming subsidies. For the US, mooted ideas include revisiting its pro-biofuels policies and a stronger commitment to curb ruminant meat and dairy consumption.
Campaigners are hoping countries will come forward in the next few months to spearhead support for the new coalition, much as Denmark and Costa Rica did for the oil and gas alliance. Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda are among the African countries that campaigners are hoping to persuade to back the plan, while high-income countries and blocs include the EU, France, Finland, Germany, Sweden, the UK and US.
The aim is for the new alliance to launch at COP27, backed by a separate initiative to channel private finance to help countries pay for sustainable farming commitments. However, Stordalen is playing down expectations for how big a role food will play at the summit in Egypt. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not looking like it鈥檚 going to come up [with] an awful lot,鈥� she says. By contrast, she says COP28 in UAE looks 鈥渕ore promising鈥� because the country has already committed to integrating action on food into its climate plan under the Paris Agreement.
Sign up to our free Fix the Planet newsletter to get a dose of climate optimism delivered straight to your inbox, every Thursday
