The energy sector has been one of the biggest contributors to the worsening climate crisis in the last century . However, with population growth and the need to produce food on increasingly larger industrial scales, traditional food systems have become the real heart of the problem.
“Even if we immediately eliminate fossil fuels, emissions from the food system, especially agriculture, will prevent us from achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement,” warns a highly publicized study published in the scientific journal Science.
The good news is that a solution is already being incorporated into the agenda of companies, industries, and governments worldwide: alternative proteins. Produced using plant-based methods, cell culture, and fermentation routes, these foods have the potential to significantly reduce emissions from the agri-food sector.
Furthermore, also according to BCG, its expansion would help contain methane emissions, which, although it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time, is more aggressive than CO2 because it retains more heat.
This data gains even more relevance with the approach of COP30, where climate mitigation and adaptation actions will be discussed and negotiated. Furthermore, with the event taking place in Belém, the world's eyes will be on Brazil.
How much does it cost to achieve the maximum climate mitigation potential of alternative proteins?
Despite their proven impact, food systems receive only 3% of climate investment, while contributing 33% to greenhouse gas emissions . This figure is 22 times lower than that received by the energy and transport sectors, for example.
At the same time, several internationally renowned institutions recognize alternative proteins as a quick and viable way to both reduce the food sector's impact on the environmental crisis and ensure that the food industry operates sustainably.
In other words, funding alternative proteins is a concrete climate mitigation strategy – a term that defines actions aimed at reducing or avoiding the causes of climate change, mainly through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
According to the World Bank , alternative proteins are the second most promising agri-food intervention in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, potentially reducing emissions by up to 6,1 billion tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to reforesting an area slightly larger than the combined area of the five largest Brazilian states (Amazonas, Pará, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, and Bahia).
To give an idea of the economic impact – using the same calculation example employed by the University of Chicago's Commission on Climate Change (2023) , led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael Kremer – the mitigation potential in a scenario of a 1% reduction in livestock emissions (estimated at 3,5 billion tons of CO2 in 2018) would correspond to approximately USD 6.65 billion, considering the social cost of carbon at USD 190 in 2020.
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According to Gus Guadagnini, president of The Good Food Institute Brazil, with COP30 approaching and the significant impact of food system emissions on Brazil – estimated at 73,7% in 2021 – this demand becomes even more pressing.
For the event, the institution advocates for a well-structured financing plan for alternative proteins, greater ambition from member countries of the Paris Agreement in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on the topic — through national targets, commitments, and incentives aimed at the transition to more sustainable food systems —, and the explicit inclusion of these foods as a strategic priority in governments' climate plans.
The impact of alternative proteins on climate adaptation and economic development
A climate adaptation plan can ensure the resilience of social and economic systems in the face of already altered or future conditions. In this sense, alternative proteins offer a safe and scalable model for reducing the existing pressure on the use of land, water, and other finite resources on the planet.
Currently, about 41% of the calories produced by major agricultural crops are lost in current food production models due to animal feed and industrial uses. Furthermore, without adaptation measures to climate change, global harvests are projected to decrease by up to 5% by 2050 , intensifying the pressure on natural resources to meet food demand. Investment in alternative proteins therefore emerges as a strategic measure to strengthen global food security, since it is possible to provide the same amount of protein using fewer resources.
Additionally, this investment is capable of yielding significant returns: according to ClimateWorks , the transition to alternative proteins should be able to create 83 million new jobs and reach approximately US$688 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the sector by 2050.
These solutions are strategic for four reasons: 1) they point to a growing market, with increased sources of income from new jobs, and favorable to investments; 2) they increase the profit margins of companies, startups, and agribusinesses; 3) they help reduce prices for the end consumer; and 4) they represent concrete actions for climate mitigation and adaptation.
It is necessary to comprehensively support more sustainable food systems, considering the entire chain—from production to distribution to final consumption—promoting transformations that combine innovation, sustainability, and development. Aiming for the competitiveness and resilience of the food sector while ensuring more accessible and healthier products for consumers, the GFI identifies the need for a regulatory and fiscal plan dedicated to alternative proteins. This will enable agribusiness production matrices to be diversified and meet the food demand of a growing global population.
Between November 10th and 21st, leaders will have the opportunity to secure increased investment in the alternative protein sector, securing specific resources for scientific research and industrial impact initiatives. This is a short-, medium-, and long-term initiative that reinforces the importance of accelerating innovation and expanding the use of alternative proteins as a crucial part of the planet's future.
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18/12/25
