UN to ask Americans to reduce meat eating to fight climate change in new ‘global food systems’ instructions

The United Nations' COP28 climate summit is set to kick off in Dubai on Thursday, and during the two-week event, leaders will discuss how their respective countries can better address the threats posed to the environment by humanity.

During the summit, the UN's Food & Agriculture Organization is set to reveal its roadmap for a transition to what they have deemed to be more sustainable global food systems by 2050. It will propose limiting meat consumption in Western nations, claiming that the greenhouse gas outputs are too high.

The roadmap was called for by an $18 trillion coalition of investors led by Jeremy Coller's Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) initiative, which "raises awareness of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities in the global food sector."
 

"It's a huge challenge," Coller said when FAO's Zitouni Ould-Dada announced the plan last year, "and investors will be looking for the roadmap to include clear guidance on methane emission limits, halting deforestation, scaling up alternative protein production, and support to ensure a just transition for farmers."

As Fox News reports, he recently called out leading meat and dairy companies for their "failure ... to reduce emissions," saying it "underlines the urgent need for more policy focus on the food and agriculture sector."

"Food system emissions deserve a place at the top of the table, alongside energy and transport, as they represent an estimated third of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of methane," he added. "Investors hope the first-ever publication of a food and agriculture road map at COP28 this month will catalyze the transition to 1.5 degrees and a more sustainable food system."

A March 2021 study published on Nature Food found that growing, processing, and packaging the world's food, as well as disposing of waste it generates, accounts for 34 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, releasing around 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.

As a result, the UN and other intergovernmental bodies have been on a crusade as of late to reduce meat consumption in favor of alternatives that they charge will bring less harm to the environment.