FAIRR’s top news picks
COP26: World Leaders Agree Deal to End Deforestation
The Guardian | 1 November 2021
COP26 kicked off with some big announcements this week. On Tuesday, world leaders signed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use committing to protect forest ecosystems and biodiversity. Among signatories were Xi Jinping and Joe Biden along with countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries collectively account for most of the world’s tropical forests, with the USA, Brazil and China also being the largest meat producers globally. However, environmentalists warn that the pledge is not legally binding and lacks mechanisms for monitoring and enforcement stressing that it is unlikely to have a meaningful impact on global agricultural production.
COP26 Must Trigger a Mindset Shift Around Food
The Grocer | 1 November 2021
As governments are focusing on sectors such as energy and transport at COP26, the food industry seems to be underrepresented on the agenda. This is despite growing recognition of its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and multiple calls for food systems to be a key issue in the climate talks. In addition, unsustainable food production also damages public health killing more than 890,000 people annually through air pollution. This calls for a shift in mindset to a more holistic, nutrition-sensitive and nature positive approach. Changes in diet toward less meat and more plant-based foods are being put forward as essential elements of sustainable food systems in the effort to achieve Net Zero.
COP26: Leaders Agree Global Plan to Boost Green Technology
BBC | 2 November 2021
Agriculture is listed as one of the five key sectors in a plan to boost green technology at COP26. This is underpinned by the launch of AIM for Climate (AIM4C), a new initiative led by the US and the UAE, set to receive $4 billion in investments over five years to advance climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation. Despite the announcement, there still seems to be a lack of ambition and detailed plans for the industry. To bring more attention to this issue, the FAIRR Initiative has launched an investor statement asking, ‘Where’s The Beef?’, earlier this year, which calls on governments to set clear climate targets for animal agriculture.
Graphic of the Week
Source: Bloomberg
More Food for Thought
Fidelity International to Halve Portfolio Emissions by 2030 | Mark Segal | ESG Today<br />Is Food and Agriculture Missing from the Political Debate at COP26? | Katy Askew | Food Navigator**<br />Finland’s Capital to Ditch Meat for Climate, with Exceptions | Jari Tanner | Washington Post**
FAIRR’s Protein Pulse is a weekly collection of news articles related to the food sector that may be of interest to our members. FAIRR does not necessarily endorse the views of these news articles and assumes no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies found in third-party content.