It’s Time to Act on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants for our Food Systems

This week, the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment is taking place in Rome, Italy at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Hosted by Italy, in collaboration with UN Agencies including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, and the wider UN system, the summit has brought together country representatives and stakeholders to reflect on increasing pressure on food systems fueled by climate change and biodiversity loss, and on the need to make our global food systems more sustainable.

As the summit happens in Europe, many countries on the continent are currently facing climate-fueled disasters, from wildfires in Greece to tornadoes in Switzerland to devastating hailstorms in Italy. These are just more indicators that as the climate continues to warm, the world will face deadlier and more disastrous events which will ruin lives and livelihoods. And our food systems are not immune.

As the climate warms, changing weather patterns, natural disasters, and heat events are becoming more frequent and severe, resulting in reduced crop yields. A warmer world also adds many challenges to food production, including increased pests and diseases, and more frequent and extreme droughts and floods. Together, these impacts put enormous pressure on domestic and global food systems, increasing the likelihood of supply chain disruptions and competition for increasingly limited resources.

“Food producers are already feeling the increasing impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, like droughts and desertification. This proves that climate mitigation, biodiversity protection and food resilience are closely interlinked, and that they need to be addressed together, including through international coordination,” said Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, European Commission, at the Summit.

Some of the biggest contributors towards the dangerous warming that’s threatening our food systems today are short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – powerful emitters like methane, black carbon, and tropospheric ozone, which severely threaten ecosystems and food security, as well as human health. These deadly pollutants also dirty our air, and air pollution reduces photosynthesis, stunting the growth of major staple crops like rice, corn, soya, and wheat – even reducing the nutritional value of certain foods.

• Black carbon (a component of fine particulate matter or PM2.5) harms crops when it covers their leaves, where it absorbs more sunlight and increases the plant’s temperature. While in the atmosphere, black carbon affects plants by reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the earth and disrupting rainfall patterns.
• Methane is a key precursor gas of the harmful air pollutant tropospheric ozone, which alone causes annual losses of approximately 110 million tons of major staple crops: wheat, rice, maize, and soybean. This represents around 4% of the total annual global crop production, and up to 15% in some regions.
• Globally, increased methane emissions are responsible for half of the observed rise in tropospheric ozone levels. But by reducing methane emissions, we can halve global crop losses by 2050, and save between US$4 to US$33 billion.

Fortunately, because SLCPs don’t last long in the atmosphere, removing them results in almost immediate benefits. We have plenty of existing solutions – low-cost, simple ways to tackle SLCPs and ensure a path forward for our food systems. Some examples include:

• replacing and properly disposing HFCs in refrigeration and air conditioning; 
• reducing methane from waste (including food waste) and agriculture; 
• reducing black carbon emissions from household cooking, lighting and heating, heavy-duty engines in trucks, buses and ships; 
• and reducing methane leaks from oil and gas production.

Air pollution and climate change affect the global food system in such a way that those who suffer from hunger and malnutrition are also the most vulnerable to these added threats.
Countries with high hunger levels are also highly vulnerable to air pollution and climate change and have limited resources to adapt. Acting on climate change, especially in the near-term, is critical to ensuring food security and preserving the lives and livelihoods of millions. The CCAC’s proven solutions, especially in vulnerable places like Africa, can improve food security and saves lives by reducing desertification and increasing crop yields for rice, maize, soy, and wheat, as shown in a recent Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Africa.

With food demand projected to sharply increase by 2050, there is no time to lose. We need to act now to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and air pollution on food security and allow time for agricultural production systems to adapt and become more resilient. At the UN Food Systems Summit, we must see an emphasis on reducing short-lived climate pollutants if we are to meet Sustainable Development Goals on hunger, poverty, and climate.

In Greece, as 100-year old olive trees burn from the inside out, farmers are witnessing the climate catastrophe hitting their orchards in real time. But it’s not too late to turn down the heat. If we act on short-lived climate pollutants now, we can ensure food security, keep our planet cool, and protect the air we breathe.