How the food industry can help reverse climate change
- csrice8
- Jul 26, 2017
- 1 min read
Climate change is widely viewed as one of the biggest threats facing humanity. The impact of global warming can be seen across the world and it is already causing insecurity and uncertainty in food industry supply chains. As a significant CO2 emitter, the food industry is uniquely positioned to tackle the issue through innovation. Katy Askew looks at how food makers can help mitigate – and even reverse – global warming by using their supply chains to rejuvenate farmlands and forests.
According to the latest data from the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA), average global temperatures in March were 1.05°C higher than when records began in 1880. Scientific consensus – which is reflected in the Paris Climate Accord – places the 'point of no return', when global warming reaches dangerous levels, at 2°C.
The climate clock is ticking.
Estimates vary as to how long we have left to stabilise warming below this level. The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) calculates this time based on the premise that we can emit a maximum of 760 gigatons of CO2 into the atmosphere between now and 2100. At present, we are emitting 40 gigatons of CO2 each year. That's 1,268 tons per second. At current rates, we have a little over 18 years before our carbon budget is spent, the MCC says.
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