Shifting food consumption to mitigate climate change is critical to fulfilling the Paris Agreement, but how?
Reducing emissions by changing consumption of
foods with large greenhouse gas emissions could
have a major impact on climate change. Yet past
efforts to change diets through public policy have
had mixed results, suggesting that recent
estimates of technical mitigation potential likely
exceed feasible reductions in emissions.
Shifting consumption away from livestock products
is a major opportunity for reducing emissions
driven by consumption demand. In some contexts,
this could also provide health, food security and
other environmental benefits.
Packages of policy mechanisms and interventions
involving health, nutrition, efficiency and
sustainability in supply chains will be more effective
in achieving dietary change than any one measure.
Focusing on reducing food loss and waste in high
potential areas and involving key value chain
actors can increase returns on efforts to mitigate
climate change and improve food security.
Private sector investment in reducing food loss and
waste requires an enabling environment, support
for development of commercially viable
investments, and increased awareness among
financial institutions of investment opportunities. This Info Note is related to the report on "The technical mitigation potential of demand-side measures in the agri-food sector: a preliminary assessment of available measures" https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/77142/CCAFS%20Report%2…
Citation
Wilkes A, Kiff L, Wollenberg E, White J. 2016. Shifting food consumption to mitigate climate change is critical to fulfilling the Paris Agreement, but how? CCAFS Info Note. Copenhagen, Denmark: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).