Dispatch From UN Climate Change Conference: Tuesday, Nov. 20

Danielle Nierenberg

Danielle Nierenberg

Just imagine: If global leaders took food systems as seriously every day as we did yesterday here at COP29, how much closer would we be to solving the climate crisis?

Yesterday was Food, Water and Agriculture day here in Baku, and discussions across the entire conference showcased the power of food systems and the range of challenges we can address when we take food systems seriously. 

“What we’re trying to do is help shift the way we think about food, to nourish ourselves and the soil so we can have better lives,” Margaret Zeigler, IICA Representative in the United States, told us yesterday at the IICA Pavilion. “It’s really hard to change the system, but this needs to be the new vision.”

I was particularly pleased yesterday to see leaders addressing a topic that I think is still not always taken as seriously as it deserves to be on the global scale: Food loss and waste. At the Action on Food Hub Pavilion, panelists highlighted the COP29 Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste, which several dozen countries have signed onto. Food waste is a significant source of methane emissions—according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, out of all methane emissions from landfills, a whopping 58 percent is attributable to wasted food.

“This is one of the first times that countries are committing to reducing their organic waste, which is one the biggest sources of methane emissions,” says Ana Catalina Suarez Pena, Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at The Global FoodBanking Network.

This understanding of how fighting the climate crisis and fighting food waste go hand-in-hand must extend into our own communities after COP29 ends on Friday. As panelists discussed over at the Waste and Resources Pavilion yesterday, we need action on the city level especially—municipal governments need to adopt food waste strategies that highlight circular food systems and encourage behavioral change among consumers. 

As we see from case studies in places like Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh, experts said at the Food and Ag Pavilion, successful food-waste prevention comes from community-driven solutions!

The Food Tank team is heading home soon, and this is my last daily dispatch to you from here in Azerbaijan. There are only a few days left of COP29—which means the clock is ticking for world leaders to step up and commit to funding the solutions we literally cannot live without.

“My call to action is simple,” Roland Royer, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Blue and Green Economy for the country of Dominica, told me yesterday at the IICA Pavilion. “First, we need to commit to the pledges for finances that are made at COP. As a small economy, my nation faces the brunt. Second, let’s place more emphasis on youth in agriculture.”

The new Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers, launched at COP29 in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is a step in the right direction. The initiative will help improve coordination among existing coalitions, encourage investments, and empower all farmers, especially women and young folks. At the G20 Summit, which also took place this week in Brazil, global leaders issued the Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration and reaffirmed their support for inclusive climate action and financing.

Now, it’s time to turn those commitments into action. Over the last few years, we’ve seen food and agriculture be discussed more seriously at COP conferences, but that hasn’t necessarily translated into urgent, bold, long-term policy action from global leaders. I’m hopeful for breakthroughs at the negotiating table these last few days of COP29, but I’ll be honest—I’m concerned that we won’t see leaders take enough accountability and commit enough money toward meaningful climate progress.

As countries continue to commit to new national climate action plans, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), by early 2025, it’s non-negotiable that food-based climate action be integrated into their solutions. WWF has created several resources: a toolkit providing examples of how countries are already integrating food and agriculture in NDCs; a guide to how food loss and waste can be incorporated into NDCs; a report identifying trends and pathways to scale up support for food-related initiatives and interventions; and an interactive tool that helps policymakers identify the most relevant policy options.

“I don't think that an investment on climate is an expense. We should not look at it as a cost. We should look at it as an investment for the future,” says Stefanos Fotiou, Director of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub.

I sometimes get a little frustrated: This is COP29, people. Twenty-nine! Leaders have been talking about the need to address the climate crisis for three decades. We’ve seen important steps forward, to be sure—but we can no longer afford to be incremental when it comes to reducing food waste, elevating farmers, and building a food system that promotes climate justice. Countries need to put their money where their mouth is, and they need to do so right now, before it's too late!

(Danielle Nierenberg is the President of Food Tank and can be reached at danielle@foodtank.com)