UN climate change report calls for action
In a new report, the United Nations Climate Panel points to the fact that agriculture plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and that global food production must be rethought if global warming is to slow down.
Our food products accounts for between 21 and 37% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this comes from agriculture, according to a new report from the UN Climate Panel, IPCC. The Panel emphasizes in the report that early action is crucial.
Danish contribution to a global challenge
The challenges of the world’s food production are global, and the Danish food and agricultural sector are already at forefront regarding green transition and keeps on raising its ambitions for climate, environment and sustainability significantly, so that Denmark can live up to the Paris agreement. E.g. earlier this year, the Danish Agriculture and Food Council announced a strategy that will make Danish food production completely climate neutral by 2050. In accordance with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Denmark are taking the lead in producing more with less.
Furthermore, the Danish government work actively for the UN’s global goals and for a more ambitious climate policy in the EU. Thus, a very ambitious goal has been set of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030, and a binding reduction target for Danish agriculture shall commit the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Solutions from the food arena
All actors must take responsibility to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ambitious contributions from the private sector are crucial in addition to governmental and organizational initiatives. The Danish food arena have already set high ambitions for climate neutrality and can showcase several solutions contributing to solving the challenges.
Denmark’s largest dairy producer Arla Foods has set out to reduce its carbon footprint by 7.330 tons in the European markets within 2030 by transitioning to recyclable milk cartons and yoghurt pots. And the Danish meat company Danish Crown has announced its ambitious long-term sustainability goals, targeting a 50% reduction of the climate footprint per kilogramme of pork by 2030 and to become a completely climate-neutral value chain by 2050.
Furthermore, vision technology from TriVision can halve food producers food waste in the production process and bacterial cultures from Danish ingredient company, Chr. Hansen, expand the life of products which can be a decisive factor in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals on reducing food waste.
World Food Summit 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark
On 29 and 30 August, the Danish Minister for Food, Fisheries and Equal Opportunities and Minister for Nordic Cooperation will host the 4th annual World Food Summit. The agenda of the summit is based on the UN SDGs, and the overall aim is to establish a platform for key policy makers, academia, business leaders and civil society to contribute to transforming the global food system into a sustainable and healthy global food system.