Somini Sengupta. (2023, December 12.) The Climate Summit Starts to Crack a Tough Nut: Emissions From Food retrieved January 28 2024 from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/climate/dubai-cop28-climate-food-agriculture.html

The latest United Nations climate conference, COP28, addressed the topic of linking global agricultural systems with climate goals. The food sector, which accounts for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a major contributor to biodiversity loss, poses issues. Climate dangers pose a greater threat to small farmers in developing countries. Global hunger has increased, affecting approximately 735 million people. Despite the difficulty of changing global eating patterns and agricultural practices, more than two-thirds of countries have supported a nonbinding pact to transform the food system. The Food and Agriculture Organization has put forward a plan to reduce food waste and livestock emissions by 2030. However, implementing these changes requires national governments to enact concrete policies, and debates about incorporating agricultural emission targets in the main climate agreement.

This article shocked me by revealing that the food industry accounts for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is more than just an environmental issue though, it also poses a threat to small farmers who compete with large organizations. The alarming number of 735 million people affected by global hunger highlights the importance of addressing these issues. Food waste is an enormous problem, particularly in developed countries such as the United States. I think that we should implement policies such as the carbon tax, which we are recently learning about. Policies like this could hold huge corporations accountable for their environmental and social consequences. The idea for a carbon tax stands out as a way to encourage firms to adopt sustainable practices through financial consequences.