Global Food Systems Overhaul Could Cut Emissions by 20%

Financial think tank Planet Tracker’s Roadmap for Financial Institutions (FIs) has called for the “urgent transformation” of global food systems. The analysis said that FIs could cut 60% of global food systems emissions by 2030, which lead to a 20% fall in global emissions and over US$1.5 trillion in economic benefits being delivered. Planet Tracker’s Financial Markets Roadmap for Transforming the Global Food System report captures data from 400,000 companies in 160 countries in land use and aquaculture. It found that US$8.6 trillion of private finance is funding the “current unsustainable” global food system, which is responsible for approximately a third (34%) of global emissions. It also projects that individual food companies are set to lose 26% of their value by 2030. The roadmap provides strategic framework based around ‘Four Transformation Themes’ for FIs to guide their capital allocation and engagement with food companies and outlines six priority actions that if implemented would remove approximately ten gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent – comparable to double current US annual emissions – by 2030. Peter Elwin, Director of Fixed Income & Head of Food and Land Use programme at Planet Tracker, said: “The global food system generates nearly 20% of the world’s GDP, however it is inherently fragile and no longer fit for purpose. Unless the global food system is transformed, none of the global targets, pledges and ambitions that have been agreed in recent years with respect to people, planet and climate will be achieved.” 

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