Breaking Boundaries by Johan Rockström

Author:Johan Rockström
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780744046908
Publisher: DK Publishing

Food determines our future on Earth. Fail on food, and we fail both people and planet. This is why food is the second of our system transformations, and alone it will ultimately determine whether we successfully meet the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming below 3.6°F (2°C). Food also plays a key role in whether we are able to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Remember, all 17 goals, from poverty and hunger to the ocean and land, need to be achieved by 2030. We are talking of nothing less than a planetary food emergency.

This may sound dramatic. Is food really failing us that badly? Does food alone truly hold the key to success? Well, the short answer is yes. The battle for climate change is no longer being fought over the global energy system. Decarbonization is on its way and is relatively simple compared with food. No, the final battle over whether we successfully deliver on the Paris climate targets rests on whether we are able to transform the global food system.

Both transitions are needed to succeed; that is undeniable. But right now, the energy transformation—despite all our concerns, the frustratingly slow progress, and the lack of urgency—is far ahead of food. The food transition is lagging behind in terms of policy, economy, awareness, and technology. In fact, we would argue that the topic of sustainable food is today, in 2021, where the energy agenda was 30 years ago. We do not, as yet, have the policy tools, political debate, and solutions to change course. Indeed, many countries are moving toward a Western junk food culture that threatens not only people’s health but also the stability of the planet.

Things are beginning to change, though. It feels as if we are witnessing a sudden awakening. COVID-19 provided a devastating reminder that our food system, in this case the trade in wild animals and the proximity of farms to other ecosystems, is both vulnerable to shock and a driver of instability. Today, in science, policy, business, and the media, there is a greater focus on food, health, and the planet, perhaps greater than ever before. But it is late in the day, and so far, we see many scattered islands of new ideas in a sea of business-as-usual behavior.

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