The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released today proves beyond doubt that stopping the climate crisis will not be possible without a radical change in our food production and consumption, and a much better protection of forests.
To spur a rapid transformation in the land sector, the EU needs to urgently ramp up its 2030 climate target.
The report published today by the world’s leading body of climate scientists offers the most comprehensive assessment of the close linkages between the climate breakdown and the way we use land, including for agriculture and forestry.
The report, endorsed by all world’s governments, gives strong scientific evidence of the catastrophic impacts of the current way we manage land on the climate and the sector’s huge potential to cut emissions. It shows that to tackle the climate emergency, we need to adopt farming practices that work with nature and move away from large-scale industrial agriculture; eliminate food waste and reduce meat consumption; and stop deforestation and restore damaged ecosystems.
Commenting on the implications of the report for EU decision makers, Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said:
“To stop climate breakdown, we need a rapid and far-reaching change in the EU’s land sector, alongside all other sectors of the economy. The EU needs to rapidly increase the rate of emission reductions in agriculture and invest in nature protection. To spur immediate action in this sector in line with the 1.5°C goal, the EU needs to increase its 2030 climate target to at least 65% emission cuts. The perfect opportunity to do so is the UN Climate Action Summit in September.”
The new IPCC report shows that ramping up action in line with the goal to keep temperature rise to 1.5°C is crucial to avoid massive disruption to our food chains. Exceeding this threshold would most likely worsen existing risks and increase desertification, decrease crop and livestock productivity, reduce the nutrient content of crops, and contribute to food insecurity, poverty, migration and conflict.
Already now many farmers in Europe lose their production and revenue due to frequent droughts, floods, heat waves and wildfires. Some of them cannot adapt anymore and have started the landmark People’s Climate Case to urge EU decision makers to scale up their response to the climate crisis.
Alfredo Sendim, Portugese farmer and plaintiff of the People’s Climate Case said:
“It is more and more difficult for us to adapt to the climate breakdown. We may be soon forced to abandon our land and traditional occupation. Together with nine other families and the Sami youth, I am taking the EU to Court to demand more climate action. The EU must urgently increase its 2030 target to protect us and millions of other small European farmers.”
ENDS
Ania Drazkiewicz, CAN Europe Head of Communications, ania@caneurope.org, +32 494 525 738
Notes
The IPCC land report website: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/srccl/
CAN Europe calls for an increase of the EU’s 2030 climate target to at least 65%: https://caneurope.org/publications/blogs/1740-can-europe-calls-for-an-increase-of-the-eu-s-2030-climate-target-to-at-least-65
People’s Climate Case: https://peoplesclimatecase.caneurope.org/
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 160 member organisations from 35 European countries, representing over 1.700 NGOs and more than 47 million citizens, CAN Europe
