stanblackley food revolt

8/3/2019 StanBlackley Food Revolt

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Foodfrom Climate Changeto Climate JusticeStan Blackley

Chief Executive

Friends of the Earth Scotland

Food Revolt Gathering, 12 November 2011


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Friends of the Earth Scotland

Formed 1978

Small, independent Scottish charity

Scotlands leading environmental campaigning

organisation

Member of Friends of the Earth International:

largest grassroots environmental network in

the world, covering every continent

Federation of 77 national member groups

Over 2 million supporters worldwide


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Our Vision and

Guiding Principle

Our Vision

Our vision is of a world where everyone can

enjoy a healthy environment and a fair share

of the planets resources

Our Guiding Principle

No less than a decent environment for all,and no more than a fair share of the planets

resources for everyone


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Environmental (In)justice

What is Environmental (In)justice?

People with the least power and money suffer

most from environmental problems and have littleaccess to the planets resources

People with the most power and money

cause these environmental problems by

over-consuming the planets resources

and polluting the environment


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FoodWhos Hungry?

7 billion people in the world

1 billion people are under-nourished (hungry):

thats 14% or almost 1 in 7 people

At the same time, 1 billion people are obese,

and a high proportion are also malnourished

200 million children are chronicallymalnourished

6 million children die of hunger every year


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Food Inequality

The world produces enough food to feed everyone

World agriculture produces 17% more calories per

person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a

70% increase in population

Thats enough to provide everyone in the world

with at least 2,720 kilocalories per person per day

Average man needs around 2,500 kcal.p.d

Average woman needs 2,000 kcal.p.d


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Environmental Impacts of Food

Food impacts on the environment at all stages

agriculture, manufacturing, refrigeration, transport,

packaging, retail, home, waste etc

Agricultural production and industrial processing

are the most significant parts of the process

Impacts include: resource depletion, deforestation

and desertification, ozone layer depletion,

biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, waste

production, water use, climate change etc


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How food and drink impacts the environment


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Some Facts and Figures

In the UK, 25%-35% of food purchased is wasted

The top 5 wasted foods are: fruit and veg, dairy,

meat and fish, rice and pasta, and bakery items

88% of all EU fish stocks are already fished beyondtheir maximum sustainable yield

To create one litre of bottled water, 9 litres of

water are required for the bottling process Buying Kenyan green beans produces

20-26 times more greenhouse gas emissions

than buying seasonal UK green beans


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Land Footprint

An indicator of how much land is used, both

directly and indirectly, to produce a product

UK consumption of imported agricultural andforestry products uses up land in other

countries equal in size to more than three times

the UK

Europe imports nearly 60% of the 640

million hectares of virtual land that it depends

on for food and clothes


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Water Footprint

An indicator of how much water is used, both

directly and indirectly, to produce a product


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Climate Change

Climate change is real, it is happening now, and

we are already experiencing its negative impacts

11 of last 12 years have been the warmest on

record

Global emissions of carbon dioxide increased by

45% between 1990 and 2010

Carbon dioxide emissions reached an

all-time high of 33 billion tonnes in 2010


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Climate Change

Temperatures are projected to rise by about

3C by 2100 (range: 2.0C to 4.5C )

2C rise equals dangerous climate change

Already committed to a 1C rise, even if

we stop producing any more greenhouse gases

There is not a single world Government yetmeeting its CO2 reduction targets, and the

majority still dont even have targets


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Climate Change - Scotland

Scottish Climate Act is world-leading and has the

most challenging targets of any climate legislation

Currently, the Scottish Government is very unlikely

to meet these UK Committee on Climate Change

RPP only 7-12% of the measures are funded

We did see reduced carbon emissions in 2010, but

this was due to the recession

Scottish Government action and policy does

not match its rhetoric and public relations


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Greenhouse Gases

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the the main greenhouse gas,

but others are also important, especially for food

Methane

23 x greater global warming potential than CO2

Nitrous Oxide

296 x greater global warming potential than CO2

Refrigerant GasesThousands of times greater than CO2


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The Anthropocene Era

We have entered a new geological timescale

the anthropocene era

Meaning "the age of man

A new, recognised, formal unit of geological time

Human activity is changing the world

Started with the industrial revolution

Human influence on the environment could

leave its own signature stripe in the rocks


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Impacts of Climate Change

Climate and Weather

Rising temperatures, more extreme weather events

Marine

Rising sea levels, increasing sea temperatures Land

Increased desertification, changes to vegetation

Freshwater

Loss of fresh water supplies, salination

Wildlife

Biodiversity loss and species extinctions


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Impacts of Climate Change

Food and Water

Failing crops, food shortages, water shortages

Disease

Increased incidence and spread of disease Inequality and Refugees

Wider gap between rich and poor, climate refugees

War and Conflict

More wars and conflicts over resources

Economy

Damage to global and local economies


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Food and Climate Change

In Europe, the consumption of food and drink

causes 15 - 17% of all greenhouse gas emissions

Meat and dairy are the most greenhouse gasintensive foods

Global food demand is moving in more

greenhouse gas intensive directions

In total, food and drink causes around

20-30% of all the environmental impacts

that we cause in Europe


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Climate Change

Impact on Cocoa

A 2C rise in average temperatures by 2050 will

make much of the Ivory Coast and Ghana too hot

to grow cocoa for chocolate

Cocoa suitability will decline as soon as 2030, as

average temperatures increase

These countries are the worlds main producers

Farmers in these countries are particularly

vulnerable since cocoa production is often

their primary source of income


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Climate Change

Impact on Coffee

Starbucks is warning of a severe threat to world

coffee supplies because of climate change

Arabica bean farmers are already seeing theeffects of a changing climate

These include more severe weather events,

such as hurricanes and droughts, reduced crop

yields and increased / resistant disease

Starbucks is actively lobbying the Obama

administration to act on climate change


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Social Impacts of Food

Food also has impacts on society, communities

and individuals

In developing nations, these can include:land grabbing, displacement of communities,

human rights abuses, slavery, shortages of land

for living on, shortages of food, ill health etc

In developed nations, these are largely

health-related, however high food prices

are causing food and fuel poverty


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Soy Growing in Paraguay

Grown in massive monoculture

Grown by big unscrupulous companies

Over 90% GM seed introduced illegally Resistant to Round Up (glyphosate)

Drives pesticide use

Degrades soil quality

Increases synthetic fertiliser use


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Up to 90% of Paraguays native forests lost

Massive losses of biodiversity, including pollinators

Extreme water problems / shortages Displaced indigenous / peasant communities

Inequality, food shortages and starvation

Destitution leading to desperation

Human rights abuses

Damaged and ill health


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Paraguays largest export

2010/11 season saw a record soy crop of 8.4

million tonnes In 2010 up to 60% was exported to Europe

In Europe, it is used to feed chickens and pigs

(often in intensive farming systems) This is a crime against humanity!

What we eat is driving this


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Biofuels

Maize and sugar cane converted to ethanol

Palm and soy converted to biodeisel

Release 17 to 420 times more carbon than the

annual savings from replacing fossil fuels

This happens through land use changes

All petrol and diesel sold at UK pumps now has

to include at least 5% biofuels Now being used in aviation

Burning food while people starve is obscene!


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Food or Fuel?

Nestl, Olayan Group, PepsiCo, Unilever

Lobbied G20 leaders about the impact of biofuels

incentives on food prices

Called for immediate action from the G20 to

address record spikes in food prices

Food prices are set to double in the next 20 years

Demand for biofuels is contributing to foodshortages, competition for land and water,

and increasing environmental damage


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Food Politics / Business

Undemocratic food system

Currently unable to provide food security for all

Food contributes to environmental damage

Food contributes to poverty and inequality Commodification of food and agriculture has

created a privatised and volatile food system

WTO promotes free trade ideology, whichhas led to a situation in which hunger

co-exists with food surplus and waste

Food speculation is a major problem


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What Do We Need To Do?

Global Governments and the UN should:

Address food security, sustainability and

sovereignty issues create a new food politic

Halt farmland expansion and land clearing foragricultural purposes reform biofuels policies

Promote smaller scale farming and localism

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste,and minimise environmental impacts

Secure economic justice and provide funds

for the global south / developing world


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What Do We Need To Do?

In Scotland, the Scottish Government should:

Increased, urgent action on Climate Change

A Green Procurement Bill / Act

A public right to grow (allotments and urban land)

Land Value Taxation (replacing the Council Tax)

Support small retailers and producers

More projects like Fife Diet (CCF funding)

Feed into CAP Reform to improve farming

Shift / change diets (e.g. 20:20:20)


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Eating a Low Carbon Diet

Change the balance of what we eat (less meat)

Eat seasonally and locally (less transportation)

Eat more fresh food (less packaging / refrigeration)

Shop more frequently (but not by car)

Eat more robust foods (less waste)

Avoid eating certain foods (such as air-freighted)

Cook more efficiently (waste less energy)

Waste less food (avoid over-buying)

Grow your own (buy less)


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