Climate change | TableDebates

Stacks of fruit at a market stall. Photo by Kevin Serech on Unsplash.

An exploration of food systems debates in Colombia

This report examines the factors that energize or restrict debates on food systems in Colombia in the context of the multi-stakeholder conversations between the Government, rural organizations, agribusiness and academia. To answer the question, we address two main aspects. First, we analyse the perceptions of various stakeholders about food systems in the country, based on a workshop carried out in February 2024 and focusing on priority issues such as hunger and malnutrition, deforestation and biodiversity loss, the effects of climate change, and inequality. Second, we discuss the competition or complementarity of various axes at the centre of food systems discussions: large-scale agriculture and family farming, native seeds and genetically modified seeds, and local food systems and international trade. The report concludes by drawing attention to the challenges of public policy coordination, information gaps, and the great diversity of actors, visions, and values in the discussions.

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Fuel To Fork: What will it take to get fossil fuels out of our food systems?

This report by IPES-Food finds that food systems now consume 40% of all petrochemicals and 15% of fossil fuels globally – making them a key growth frontier for Big Oil. Yet food remains glaringly absent from the climate conversation.

Close up of rice in field. Credit: Pixabay via Pexels.

Journal articles

A natural gene on-off system confers heat tolerance for grain quality and yield in rice

Researchers identified a gene strain in rice that can maintain grain quality and yield in high temperatures, potentially a crucial development for producers in regions where climate change is causing extreme heat.

Oranges growing on a tree. Photo by Philippe Gauthier via Unsplash.

Resumen del Lanzamiento MESA México

Te compartimos un resumen del lanzamiento de TABLE/MESA en México, donde describimos los momentos más relevantes durante este evento celebrado con diversos actores interesados en la producción, distribución y consumo de alimentos en nuestro país.

Cover of UN Pact for the Future

UN Pact for the Future

The UN's "Pact for the Future," is essentially a recommitment to the Sustainable Development Goals with additional focus on AI, governance and reforming the UN Security Council and climate finance. It has a section on food security which journalist Thin Wei Lin shows has been eroded throughout the negotiation process.

Picture of veggie meal in bowl. Credit: Alesia Kozik via Pexels.

Journal articles

Prospective life cycle assessment of climate and biodiversity impacts of meat-based and plant-forward meals

This paper finds that plant-forward meals in Germany and Indonesia have a lower climate and biodiversity footprint than typical meat-based meals. The paper argues that this highlights the importance of supply and demand side interventions to produce lower-impact ingredients and reshape consumption.

Book cover that has markings like a cow. Title: Climate change, cattle and the international legal order.

Climate Change, Cattle, and the International Legal Order

This book argues livestock systems need to be rapidly rethought to tackle the climate crisis and examines how this tension is governed (or lack thereof) in international arenas. It showcases where productive synergies and damaging tensions have emerged across livestock governance, and where there is scope to achieve fairer and more effective emissions mitigation.

Image: First page of the 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown

The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown

This report is part of the Lancet Countdown in Europe, which is an on-going effort to assess the health impacts of climate change in Europe to reinvigorate social and political will for urgent climate mitigation and adaptation actions. The initial report, in 2022, tracked 33 indicators across five domains. This report tracks 42 indicators related to the impacts of climate change to human health, the response of European countries and the opportunities to better health and climate action attuned to health issues. It finds that whilst scientific and the corporate sector are increasingly engaging with these issues, the media, the political sector and individuals have low levels of engagement with the interplay between health and climate change in Europe. The report notes that significant political and public support is needed to stimulate further action

Photo of the world at night from space

Journal articles

A planetary health diet through system and paradigm change

This article collection details several case studies related to assessing the barriers and opportunities for a sustainable food system transformation. This, for the authors, means an increased consumption of plant-based foods and lower levels of meat and dairy consumption, especially in the global North. The collection seeks to challenge incumbent actors and structures which the authors claim resist the critical transformative changes required whilst fostering new values, norms, and paradigms that could contribute to the societal change necessary for food system transformation. The case studies cover topics such as the polarisation of the animal-free and animal-centric food system narratives, new and alternative protein industries, different socioeconomic systems of agriculture and unique perspectives on human-animal relationships.