130+ nations commit to transform food systems to address climate and nature crises

Read on for details of the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action — and reactions to the news.

Today at COP28, leaders of more than 130 nations* endorsed the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action. It is the first time that governments have committed to bring action on food systems into their responses to the climate and nature crises.  

Among other things, they are committing to helping food producers adapt to climate change, and to shifting away from practices that result in high emissions of greenhouse gases, while conserving, protecting and restoring nature.

They pledge to integrate such actions in their National Adaption Plans under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, their Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement and their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

They commit to doing this before COP30 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2025, and will review progress next year at COP29.

On 10 December, the COP28 Presidency and partners will host an event focused on implementing the Declaration. It will include the launch of a "climate policy toolkit for food" aimed at accelerating implementation.

*Since I published this, another 18 countries signed the declaration, bringing the total to 152.

Reactions

“While this is an essential first step, the language remains very vague,” said Lim Li Ching, co-chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), in a press release. “And specific actions and measurable targets are conspicuously missing — including shifting to healthy sustainable diets, phasing out fossil fuels, and reducing overconsumption of industrially produced meat.”

“[The Declaration] is a much-needed development,” said Morgan Gillespy, Executive Director of the Food and Land Use Coalition. “But we know from previous COPs that signing a declaration is far from enough: countries must rapidly shift to implementation from the moment the ink on the page dries.”

"It's staggering there has been no obligation to include this sector in emissions reductions plans for so long,” said Tom Mitchell, Executive Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, in a press statement. “Government subsidies have long supported the polluting effects of large-scale agriculture, acting as a hidden brake on climate action. These payments should be redirected in a way that means people and nature can thrive.”

“The Declaration is a step in the right direction because it addresses our broken global food system by targeting support for indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers, and in recognizing the need for local solutions,” said Diego Martinez Schütt, Food Systems Advisor at CAFOD. “This Declaration will only work if it encourages governments to focus on strengthening local food systems through solutions that have already proven effective, such as agroecology."

Many more reactions are available here.

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