Reflections on COP28
Author: Klaus Mager Issue: 2023-12-06
Reflections on COP28
by Klaus Mager
Amidst the expected rancor of yet another COP, this one held in the most unlikely of places Dubai, and hosted by the CEO of an oil company, one bright light appeared. For the first time, the nations decided to integrate food into climate action. 130 countries signed, notable exception is India out of concern for food security.
The food system accounts for 31+% of total global emissions. That reality hit the Al Gore Climate Reality Project earlier this year, when I was able to make a presentation to their national farm bill team. Agriculture was measured in isolation at 11%, which didn’t account for transportation, refrigeration, synthetic nitrogen, food waste, deforestation etc. Al Gore had his agency expand on this concept and he then made a presentation in his typical over the top style, with interviews hosting Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack, and Senator Stabenow who leads the Senate Ag committee amongst others. Here is the recording (free registration required), still available until the end of December for anyone interested in food and agriculture, it’s an impressive 360 deep dive into the challenges facing our food system.
What has also come into focus is the concept of desertification of millions of acres of farmland due to the application of chemicals (nitrogen, phosphates, herbicides, insecticides) that harm the soil microorganisms that are the base of all life on land. That in turn causes the soil to release its carbon, and it no longer is able to absorb and hold water (explained in the presentation above). This causes a disruption in the hydrologic cycles, leading to prolonged periods of drought, followed by heavy precipitation with associated flooding. It accelerates the impacts of climate change, and has not been fully accounted for in most climate models. The Hydrologic Cycle
Just like the energy sector, the Petro chemical based food industry is resisting changes that would disrupt prevailing business models. Yet the sector has the capacity to not just reduce its emissions and damage to the environment, but actually reverse and go carbon negative, in the process repairing watersheds, biodiversity, nutrient quality of crops. Food for Thought.
In the short to medium term, focusing on adaptations in the food system is the proverbial low hanging fruit.
Related:
- Klaus Mager (author)
- 2023 (year)
- Topics: Climate and Environment