COP27: Food systems transformation for climate action

02.11.22 | News
Kvinde i supermarked
Photographer
Asger Ladefoged / Scanpix
Changes in our food systems are crucial to limit global warming, and important to include in the upcoming climate negations at COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Therefore, we will transform the Nordic Pavilion into a Nordic Food Systems Pavilion on 12 November.

The day will bring together policy makers, experts and scientists to discuss solutions to a sustainable transition of the global food system for climate action.

Food production and diets have a large impact on our climate. What we eat and the way we produce food is key, not only to our health, but also to comply with the Paris Agreement. Global food systems account for more than a third of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. Food production is the single biggest threat to biodiversity as well as responsible for soil and water degradation. At the same time as over 800 million people are facing food insecurity. Our agriculture sector is very vulnerable to climate change, posing further challenges to the sustainable production of food.

Food systems play a critical role in the green transition

No matter how you look at it, all pathways to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees or 2.0 degrees are dependent on changes in the food system. When we look towards the Sustainable Development Goals, each one is in one way or another connected to a part of the food value chain, making food a key driver in climate mitigation, adaptation and building resilience. Nevertheless, food systems are still not a central part of the climate negotiations.

This is why the Nordic Council of Ministers will transform the Nordic Pavilion to a Nordic Food Systems Pavilion on 12 November at COP 27 so we can bring food production, agriculture and diets to the front and centre of climate action. At the Nordic Food Systems Pavilion, we will explore and discuss the solutions, actions and strategies needed to drive a sustainable transformation of the future food system as part of the global climate action.

Nordic solutions to a global issue

How can we address the pressing challenges in our food systems? And how can our food systems be transformed into a solution for climate action? The Nordic countries does not have all the answers, but during COP 27 the Nordic Cooperation open up for dialogue about the steps ahead. From decades of cooperation, the Nordic countries can present several initiatives to push the agenda forward. Not least, with the new sustainability edition of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations that will provide the evidence for climate smart diets. Join us at the Nordic Food Systems Pavilion, where we will enter the tough but necessary discussions on how to change the way we produce and eat food in order to enable sustainable and healthy food systems and reach the global climate targets.

Programme

All times are in EET

14:00 – 14:30 Food systems transformation
Why we need to accelerate the transformation and how to do it

A presentation of the award-winning carbon footprint tool ‘the big climate database’ designed to bring about change together key findings from UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report showcasing why the transformation of food systems is vital for the future of our planet. 

 CONCITO and UNEP​​

14:45 – 15:40 Sustainable Diets for Climate Action
A high-level panel about climate-smart dietary recommendations and
behavioural change

What we eat and how we produce food is not only causing untold damage to our environment and climate, it is also harming our health. Our diets are a key component of the climate action we need to take. Furthermore, our diets need to be given a central role at COP 27. Ahead of the release of the new sustainability edition of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, this event will provide a discussion on hot topics relating to sustainable and healthy diets, behavioural change and a just transition for the health of ourselves and our planet. Speakers: 

  • Gerda Verburg, Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General 
  • Brent Loken, PhD, Global Food Lead Scientist for WWF
  • Rune Blomhoff, Professor, Project Leader, Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, University of Oslo 
  • Pekka Kosonen, Ambassador of Finland to the Arab Republic of Egypt

Nordic Council of Ministers

16:00 – 17:00 Food Systems facing changes
Unlocking the untapped potential to secure resilience, sustainability and justice

The pathways to achieve our climate goals hold massive untapped potential for our food systems. This event will discuss new innovations and cross-disciplinary climate solutions that can create the resilient, sustainable, and just food system we need. What do tomorrow’s climate-smart food systems look like? And what role does climate funding play in making such systems a reality? 

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, WeEffect, Nordic Council of Ministers

17:15 – 19:00 Future thinking for climate smart food systems
Enjoy food and join the conversation around climate-smart food systems

This reception will focus on essential trends in our global food systems.

To round off the first week at COP 27 join us to discuss how our future food systems will look like if we want them to be both healthy and sustainable whilst enabling climate action.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, Nordic Council of Ministers office in Latvia and Nordic Council of Ministers

All events at the Nordic Food Systems Pavilion will be available for online streaming – live!

Practical information

Time and date: November 12th from 14:00 – 19:00 EET

Nordic Food Systems Pavilion take place at the Nordic Pavilion, P97, in the Blue Zone at Cop 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.​

 

The day is hosted by the Nordic Council of Ministers together with CONCITO, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, WeEffect, UNEP and Nordic Council of Ministers office in Latvia.