COP 28: Historic progress and much work ahead

COP 28, which took place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, ended with historic advances in terms of recognizing the food sector as a strategic focus for climate mitigation and adaptation actions, but there is still a lot of work to be done. 

What were the main advances?

The food systems agenda, which only began to be debated last year at the COP in Egypt, has gained more focus, intensity, commitment from countries, engagement from the international community, sources of financing for the sector and even an entire day dedicated to food and agriculture. 

This speed is unusual for the world of multilateral organizations, where change happens very slowly. Although it is still not enough to meet the urgency of accelerating the transition to more sustainable food systems in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, it is a significant step forward.

The launch of three food-focused documents also represented a victory for the sector:

• A Dstatement of the United Arab Emirates on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action was signed by 134 countries, including Brazil, which commit to producing food more sustainably. This declaration is the first of its kind to place food systems at the center of the climate debate and brings enthusiasm for the possibility of this issue being prioritized by the Brazilian government on the road to COP 30, which will take place in 2025 in Belém. 

• The launch of the report “What's Cooking”, from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the leading global authority on the environment, focuses on alternative proteins and their impacts on the world, providing a comprehensive overview of current and future food systems challenges and the importance of alternative protein innovations as a viable and scalable solution to the climate crisis.

• In addition, Brazil, Cambodia, Norway, Rwanda and Sierra Leone also formed the Alliance of Leaders for Food Systems Transformation. That coalition, which aims to achieve more ambitious results in the area of ​​food, focusing on adaptation and resilience, tackling the climate crisis, ensuring food and nutritional security and preserving nature and biodiversity, represents a significant commitment because it includes defined goals, an accountability mechanism and a deadline to be met.

Another victory was the inclusion of food systems and agriculture in the Global Stocktaking, a document reviewed every 5 years that technically and politically analyzes how we have evolved in relation to the goals of the Paris Agreement and what the new commitments should be. Countries use the document to prepare their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are the goals that each nation self-determines to meet the commitments of the Agreement. Mentions include the need to increase the production of sustainable food and to stimulate resilient food systems, for example. Although timid, this achievement already opens the necessary doors for the subject to be addressed in other official instruments in the future, such as the NDCs, and for the agenda to receive even more focus in the next editions of the COP.

What do we still need to achieve?

While we celebrate the progress made, we recognize that there is still a vast field of opportunities to be explored in food systems. There is a pressing need to expand the discussion around innovations, such as disruptive technologies in the production of alternative proteins. In addition, it is crucial to examine in more depth the environmental and social impacts of animal-based food production. These issues are key elements of a broader spectrum that encompasses changes in diets, sustainable rural practices such as agroecology, among others. Detailing and enriching the debate on all aspects of food systems is essential to fostering significant transformations towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

“The rapid evolution of the debate on food systems in multilateral organizations is remarkable and unusual. This year, we dedicated an entire day to this topic, formalized a commitment by global leaders, and published reports. Furthermore, the inclusion of these systems in the Global Stocktake is an important and hard-won milestone, although it may seem modest to outsiders. Despite these advances, we still need to accelerate our efforts, given the urgency of improving the sustainability of food systems and mitigating the impacts caused by the climate crisis on them.” Gustavo Guadagnini, President of GFI Brazil.

Next Steps

Leading up to COP29 in Azerbaijan in 2024, GFI will work to strengthen the Global Coalition for Alternative Proteins (CGPA). Our initial goal is to engage more partners to create a broad and persuasive call, both at grassroots and institutional levels, to promote the alternative protein sector as a viable climate solution. We will focus on specific initiatives, such as thematic working groups and strategic partnerships, to ensure this issue receives the attention it deserves at the upcoming conference.

At the same time, the eyes of the global community are already on COP 30, which will take place in Brazil. Expectations are high due to the country's central role in the global climate scenario, a result of its current foreign policy, the symbolic importance of the Amazon and the process of reviewing the Paris agreement. In this last aspect, the event will mark the conclusion of the process of reviewing NDCs (each country's goals in relation to the climate crisis), making COP 30 a crucial milestone in the climate negotiations. 

This conference provides an unparalleled platform to bring critical issues such as food system sustainability and agriculture to the forefront of debate. This highlights the importance of the CGPA being well-structured and active. We encourage everyone to join us on this journey towards a more sustainable future and to actively participate in the discussions that will shape our food systems – and our planet – for generations to come.