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Cop28: Why food and farming matter for global climate action

The world’s food system is in need of a major overhaul, and the upcoming Cop28 climate summit might be just the place to start.
Cop28: Why food and farming matter for global climate action

The world’s food system is in need of a major overhaul, and the upcoming Cop28 climate summit might be just the place to start.

That’s the message from the UAE’s Minister for Climate Change and Environment, who unveiled the “food systems and agriculture agenda” for the crucial talks on Monday. The agenda aims to tackle the issue from four angles: national leadership, non-state actors, innovation, and finance.

According to the minister, this represents the most robust and impactful initiative ever undertaken within the Cop process to bolster food systems and agriculture. Additionally, she called upon governments to sign a declaration, pledging their dedication to prioritizing this agenda in their efforts to combat climate change.

The announcement came as the UN chief said that global food systems were broken and needed a transformation. He said billions of people were paying the price.

According to the UN, unsustainable food production, packaging, and consumption account for about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, 70 percent of the world’s freshwater usage and drive biodiversity loss. The minister said some of the solutions were switching to renewable energy and adapting to climate change, such as using heat-tolerant crops and more efficient use of water. She said these were important to increase the resilience of climate-vulnerable farmers and reduce food system-related emissions.

But that’s not all. In addition, the Cop28 presidency has expressed its commitment to collaborate with businesses, farmer and producer organizations, as well as other non-state actors, to push for further advancements. This collaboration will bring together over 15 influential chief executives and stakeholders, encompassing every stage of the agricultural process—from production and consumption to finance.

One of the initiatives launched by this collaboration is to promote regenerative agriculture, which aims to restore soil health and biodiversity while sequestering carbon. The initiative would be supported by procurement and investment commitments from various stakeholders.

Amidst Cop28, a specific thematic day will be devoted to addressing food, agriculture, and water concerns with the aim of inspiring decisive action. Furthermore, the summit will build upon previous initiatives like the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), initiated by the UAE and the US during Cop26 the previous year. This mission's purpose is to equip the agricultural sector in facing the challenges of climate change and has garnered substantial investment, totaling billions of dollars, from nations worldwide.

Cop28 vision: energy transition, climate finance, people, and inclusivity

The UAE Cop28 team, meanwhile, has also been revealing more of its vision for the summit that takes place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

The Cop28 President-designate said the summit would be based on four pillars – fast-tracking the energy transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on people, and making inclusivity a hallmark.

He also said limiting global warming to 1.5°C was his main goal for Cop28.

It comes after the UAE raised its own target for emissions cuts to 40 percent this decade, up from 31 percent.

Cop28 will take place in Abu Dhabi from November 1-12, 2023. It is expected to be a pivotal moment for global climate action, as countries are expected to submit more ambitious pledges to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. With food and farming on the agenda, Cop28 might also be a chance to transform how we feed ourselves and the planet.

Also Read: COP28: UAE minister unveils ambitious four-pillar to shake up the world on climate action

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