Food systems are responsible for approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A recent report, released on October 3, 2023, by the EAT-Lancet Commission highlights how transforming these systems could reduce emissions by more than half. The commission consists of global experts from over 35 countries across six continents and presents the most comprehensive evaluation of food systems’ impact on climate change to date.
Researchers from Cornell University played a significant role in the report, particularly in modeling potential scenarios for food systems by 2050. This research indicates that food systems negatively affect five out of nine critical global processes—termed “planetary boundaries”—that are essential for maintaining Earth’s stability and resilience.
Mario Herrero, a professor of global development at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, emphasized the importance of collaborations like EAT-Lancet, stating, “Collaborations like EAT-Lancet are vital to imagining and advancing a more sustainable future.” His involvement as an executive committee member and commissioner on the report allowed him to contribute to, and learn from, diverse expertise focused on food systems transformation.
The findings reveal that more than half of the global population struggles to access healthy diets. Shifting dietary patterns could prevent an estimated 15 million premature deaths annually. The report also points out that the wealthiest 30% of individuals account for over 70% of the environmental impacts associated with food. Despite sufficient food production to nourish the global population, over 1 billion people remain undernourished.
To address these pressing issues, the report proposes eight potential solutions. These include reducing food loss and waste, implementing sustainable agricultural practices, protecting traditional healthy diets, and halting the conversion of intact ecosystems to agricultural use.
Daniel Mason-D’Croz, a senior research associate at Cornell and the lead of the modeling team, indicated that their simulations demonstrated that transforming food systems can significantly alleviate environmental pressure across all food-related planetary boundaries. He cautioned, however, that “if dietary change is not accompanied by improvements such as increased agricultural productivity and reduced food loss, it won’t get us environmentally sustainable food systems.”
Future research will focus on creating roadmaps to achieve these sustainable food futures. The report asserts that changes in food production and consumption can enhance global health, achieve food and nutrition security, build resilience, and improve equity and working conditions within food systems by 2050.
Patrick Beary, the Bruce H. Bailey Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, remarked on the report’s importance, stating, “This research provides crucial insights that help policymakers, governments, and corporations make informed decisions, while also enabling individuals to understand the implications of their diets and our food systems.”
The Cornell research team, part of the Food Systems & Global Change research group in the Department of Global Development, included postdoctoral scholars Thais Diniz Oliveira, Matthew Gibson, and Marina Sundiang, along with Ramya Ambikapathi, a former research associate, and Hannah van Zanten, a visiting professor. Background papers supporting this research will be published in The Lancet Planetary Health Journal later in October.
Funding for Cornell’s contributions to the report came from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the CGIAR Foresight Initiative. The EAT-Lancet report was financially supported by the IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This comprehensive assessment not only highlights the urgent need for reform in food systems but also provides a strategic framework for achieving sustainability, health, and equity on a global scale.
