After a 3-year engagement with pioneering local authorities, the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration, presented during COP26, is nearing its conclusion.
The Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration brought together more than hundred local authorities to speak with a unified voice in renewing their commitments to develop sustainable food policies, promote mechanisms for joined-up action and call on national governments to put food and farming at the heart of the global response to the climate emergency.
Over the past two years, the signatory governments, including Délice members such as Barcelona, Birmingham, Izmir, Lyon, and Merida, have worked towards raising awareness. Délice Network has also proudly supported this initiative since its inception, contributing to global efforts to foster a sustainable and resilient future.
While COP28 is currently taking place in Dubaï, food system experts urge governments to stop neglecting food systems in their climate pledges and to pay attention to the pioneering emissions-slashing efforts of cities and regions. They need to look no further than the pioneering strategies of their cities and regions to transform food systems, according to a new report released today by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).
The new report "From Plate To Planet" finds weak and fragmented action at the national level, with food systems routinely overlooked in climate negotiations and national climate plans – despite food systems contributing one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
However, the picture is completely different in city and regional governments. The report unveils the efforts of dozens of leading cities and regions to reduce food miles, cut food waste, transform school canteens, and spark shifts to sustainable diets. The expert panel calls on national governments to take inspiration from local action and harness the emissions-cutting potential of food system transformation.
Olivier De Schutter, co-chair of IPES-Food, said:
“It’s truly inspiring to see cities and regions leading the way on action to transform food systems and reduce emissions. Even more remarkable, they have kept forging ahead despite Covid-19, despite the cost of living crisis, and often without much support from national governments.
“These policies are working because local governments are addressing climate change with communities long-term – along with other challenges that people care about, like healthy diets and supporting local businesses.
“These are no longer just inspiring examples. Local governments are offering a blueprint for real people-centered climate action – and laggard national governments must start to follow.”
In total, the emission cuts pledged by local and regional governments go 35% above and beyond those pledged by national governments, and these pledges are being translated into real and measurable actions, especially regarding food systems.
Following a 3-year engagement process with pioneering local authorities, the report highlights a range of inspiring local food and climate action from signatory cities.
Along with IPES-Food and all signatory cities, Délice Network calls on national governments to take the opportunity of the Paris Agreement stocktaking at COP28 to systematically include food systems and local action in their climate commitments. Further, it calls on governments to build on what cities are already doing – supporting local government actions with more funding and scaling out successful approaches to other cities and regions.
As De Schutter added, “it's time for national governments to build on the pioneering work of local governments to transform food systems – drawing down emissions from plate to planet.”