New Report: The Climate Cost of Food at COP24

Brighter Green announced its new joint report with the Center for Biological Diversity and Farm Forward, members of the Food and Climate Alliance, at a press conference at COP24 on December 3rd. This press conference took place with Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, alongside ProVeg International, in an aligned effort to work for the benefit of the climate and health.

The report, “The Climate Cost of Food at COP24,” reflects on the need for more climate-friendly food options in the very spaces climate negotiations take place. They found that the meat-heavy menu, featuring twice as many meat-based options as plant-based ones, at COP24 could contribute more than 4,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases to the climate crisis. If international climate conferences hope to lead the way in addressing the climate crisis, organizers can’t afford to overlook the food offered at their events. A press release can be found here.

Associate Caroline Wimberly was quoted in the press release and a few of the subsequent news articles: “We know that we cannot meet the Paris Agreement goals, or the 1.5C target, with business as usual. Food is not a matter only of personal choice, but an essential factor in solving the climate crisis. Demand-side policies and efforts, including food waste reductions and shifting diets — prioritizing populations with the highest consumption of animal-based foods — are critical in achieving a climate compatible food system and curtailing emissions.”

Executive Director, Mia MacDonald, was quoted in a Huffington Post article about the report: “I’m not hugely surprised that the menu at COP24 is meat- and dairy-heavy, but it sends a strange and unhelpful message nonetheless. At the Paris climate talks it was really hard to eat as a vegan. I kept asking myself, what’s Al Gore eating? Turns out he took a packed lunch with him from his hotel each day!” She went on to discuss how it’s not “deeply problematic” that the menu is filled with meat, but the lack of concrete policies to reduce emissions from livestock production and consumption and the failure to promote more plant-based alternatives.

Links to the various media coverage that the report received can be found below.

Bloomberg