October 24, 2019

14 mega-cities commit to reducing meat in public institutions

topic:	Food Security
located:	Spain, Denmark, Canada, USA, Norway, France, Sweden
editor:	Yair Oded

Earlier this month, 14 mayors of some of the world’s largest cities signed what they called a “Good Food Cities” agreement, in which they commit to significantly reduce the amount of meat served in public institutions over the next decade. 

The move, which constitutes an attempt by the signatory cities to tackle the climate emergency, was done under the C40 initiative – a network of 94 major cities across the world that collaborate on ecological issues and work together to reduce their metropolises’ carbon footprint. 

The declaration was signed by the following cities: Barcelona, Copenhagen, Guadalajara, Lima, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Oslo, Paris, Quezon City, Seoul, Stockholm, Tokyo, and Toronto. The cities intend to adopt a “planetary healthy diet” by 2030, which will consist predominantly of healthy plant-based food, reduce 50 per cent of food-waste from a 2015 baseline, and limit the amount of meat intake in their public institutions to no more than 30 grams per person per week. 

“Our diets are not just hurting our health but also the ecosystem that supports human life,” the declaration reads. “Food is among the largest drivers of global environmental change contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use, interference with the global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and land-system change.”

The declaration goes on to cite research indicating that CO2 emissions from the food sector are expected to increase by 38 per cent by 2050 unless drastic steps are taken to curb them. 

Of particular urgency is reducing the levels of meat consumption and production, as the meat industry seems to be the greater polluter in the food sector. According to research, meat accounts for roughly 47.6 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions generated from average food consumption. Furthermore, the ranching industry has been responsible for mass deforestation and arson across the Amazon rain forest, which have catastrophic implications on the environment and our climate.  

This month’s move by the 14 cities elicited praise from climate activists and scientists alike. “We are in a climate emergency, fueled in significant part by excessive industrial meat production and consumption,” stated Reyes Tirado, a senior scientist at Greenpeace International, adding that, “We have no time to lose. These city leaders have recognised the power they have in reducing meat. It’s time for more cities to swiftly follow suit.”

Seeing as the majority of humanity is concentrated in urban areas, and considering that this is where the greatest amount of pollution is generated, it is important to endorse and proliferate green initiatives on the city-level. Adopting a ‘planetary healthy diet’ on a municipal scale is a great place to start. 

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