The Science Based Targets initiative has published guidance for companies in land-intensive sectors on how to set science-based targets for reducing emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use in line with the Paris Agreement’s climate goals. The key components include: setting near-term emissions reduction targets for the next 5-10 years; account for carbon sequestration options such as forest management and soil carbon sequestration; set long-term targets of cutting emissions by 74% by no later than 2050; set zero deforestation targets for no later than 2025; and set emissions reduction targets for both land use and fossil fuel use.

Europe’s imports of palm oil are decreasing while the region remains a top market for sustainable palm oil, according to this report which is targeted at Europe-based retailers and manufacturers of palm oil products. The report sets out how industry users of palm oil in Europe can strengthen the sustainable palm oil movement globally, including: improving traceability in their supply chains; committing to sustainable sourcing policies; joining a sustainable palm oil initiative; using certification schemes; and joining landscape-based sustainability initiatives.

This report by the UNFCCC-supported Race to Zero sets out the implications for financial institutions of the shift towards sustainable land use. It sets out the policy landscape around limiting deforestation and land conversion for commodity production, as well as the financial losses in the food and agriculture sector caused by climate-linked disasters. It argues that investors are overlooking the risks to the financial value of 40 of the world’s largest food and agriculture firms that could be caused by new policies and changing consumer attitudes. It concludes that financial institutions need to do more to eliminate deforestation and land conversion from their portfolios, invest in nature-based solutions and advocate for just rural transition policies.

This paper reviews 43 existing studies on the environmental sustainability and nutritional characteristics of plant-based animal alternatives (PB-APAs) compared to animal products. PB-APAs, such as Beyond Meat and Oatly milk, are foods which seek to mimic animal products. They do not include minimally processed plant-based foods such as legumes and nuts.

This paper analyses the narratives linking meat and the environment that were found in 116 articles from eight online news outlets in the UK during 2019. It found that anti-meat narratives are most common: 54% of articles had anti-meat-consumption sentiments, while only 5% were mostly in favour of meat consumption or against a shift to plant-based diets; the remaining articles were neutral or contained mixed arguments. Sentiment varied by farming type: less than 10% of articles were against meat in general; 28% were against industrial farming but favoured more sustainable methods; and the remainder were neutral or balanced, with no articles being generally in favour of the meat industry. The eight news outlets studied were the BBC, the Guardian, MailOnline, Sky News, the Sun, the Mirror, LAD Bible and BuzzFeed.

This paper presents a “roadmap” towards achieving net zero in global food systems by 2050 - a plan which has recently been called for by institutional investors. The authors explore 64 pathways to net zero based on implementing varying levels of four major food systems interventions: increasing production efficiency through shifting to low-emissions practices; sequestering carbon in croplands and grasslands; changing diets to reduce the global production of protein from livestock; and adopting a diverse range of “new-horizon” - i.e. emerging - technologies such as methane inhibitors and perennial row crops.

The global availability of food calories for people could increase by 13%, and protein supply could increase by 15%, if livestock were fed more by-products and residues in place of some feed that is edible to humans, specifically cereals, pulses, vegetable oils and whole fish. This study combines data from several sources to trace feed composition throughout the global food system.

This event was hosted by TABLE on 28 September 2022 and took the format of a panel discussion with: Dr Tara Garnett (director of TABLE and fellow of the Oxford Martin School); Andy Reisinger (IPCC Working Group III (mitigation)/New Zealand Climate Change Commission) Claudia Arndt (The International Livestock Research Institute [ILRI]) John Lynch (University of Oxford) Martin Persson (Chalmers University of Technology)

This event was hosted by TABLE on 14 September 2022 and took the format of a panel discussion with: Dr Tara Garnett (director of TABLE and fellow of the Oxford Martin School); Professor Pete Smith (University of Aberdeen); Professor M. Francesca Cotrufo (Colorado State University); Assistant Professor Matthew Hayek (New York University).