Eating Out Of The Climate Crisis

We must transform food production to save the world, says leaked report; Cutting carbon from transport and energy ‘not enough’ IPCC finds

Robin McKie, 4 August 2019 (UK Guardian)

“Attempts to solve the climate crisis by cutting carbon emissions from only cars, factories and power plants are doomed to failure…A leaked draft of a report on climate change and land use, which is now being debated in Geneva by the [IPCC], states that it will be impossible to keep global temperatures at safe levels unless there is also a transformation in the way the world produces food and manages land…Humans now exploit 72% of the planet’s ice-free surface to feed, clothe and support Earth’s growing population…[and] agriculture, forestry and other land use produces almost a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions…[A]bout half of all emissions of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, come from cattle and rice fields, while deforestation and the removal of peat lands cause further significant levels of carbon emissions…

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The impact of intensive agriculture – which has helped the world’s population soar from 1.9 billion a century ago to 7.7 billion – has also increased soil erosion and reduced amounts of organic material in the ground…In future these problems are likely to get worse…[The analysis comes when rising greenhouse gas emissions have made news…[including arctic sea-ice coverage reaching] near record lows for July…[heatwaves in Europe last month] between 1.5C and 3C higher because of climate change…[and global temperatures for July] 1.2C above pre-industrial levels…[which near the 1.5C rise that risks] triggering climatic destabilization…The new IPCC report emphasises that land will have to be managed more sustainably so that it releases much less carbon…Peat lands will need to be restored…[M]eat consumption will have to be cut…[and] food waste will have to be reduced…” click here for more

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