“Solutions” to food emissions worry experts after COP27

In some ways, the UN climate summit held this year in Egypt was all about food. Against the backdrop of poor harvests and food insecurity, due to extreme weather and declining diversity, as well as rising food prices exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine and the narrow grip of corporate monopolies, COP27 included the very first day devoted to food and climate.

Scientists are clear that the interconnected climate, environmental and food crises require bold transformative action to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases and improve resilience. Food systems produce a third of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Cattle ranching is the main driver of Amazon rainforest loss, while industrialized food production is the biggest threat to 86% of the world's endangered species.

But at COP27, as in the debate more broadly, corporate interests dominated. Activists and NGOs say the food industry's fingerprints were all over the touted solutions, including an array of technologies and incentives they say will do little to reduce the huge climate footprint food, reduce diet-related disease, or increase food security and climate resilience in the long term.

“From cow burp treatment to robots weeders, none of the false solutions proposed at the COP27 are close to preventing industrial food production from being an engine of planetary development. destruction,” said Raj Patel, food justice scholar and author of Stuffed and Starved. "Agribusiness and governments have come up with a series of patented fixes designed not to transform the food system, but to keep it the same."

There are still Much to take away from COP27, but here are some of the food 'solutions' that experts told the Guardian are most alarmed about:

1 The rise of 'climate-smart agriculture'

The phrase "climate smart" - the mother of all buzzwords - has found its way into climate plans and policy making, adopted by businesses, governments and multilateral agencies, such as the World Bank and the FAO.

Billions of dollars are being spent on research into so-called climate-smart technological solutions such as such as robotics, AI, net zero dairy, cultured meat and precision agriculture. tion, including drones, GPS and drip irrigation technologies. While proponents say it will increase productivity, help farmers adapt to the climate crisis and reduce emissions, critics say the phrase 'climate smart' has become blanket cover for renaming farming practices harmful.

A leading proponent of climate-smart agriculture is the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (Aim4C), a joint initiative led by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, which pledged $4 billion in agricultural innovation to reduce emissions. It's backed by 40 countries and some of the world's largest food companies, including...