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Critical Points

Here is a summary of the critical points as featured in the report.

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1. Dietary choices in G20 countries are destroying the planet.

Global adoption of current G20 food consumption patterns by 2050 would exceed the planetary boundary for food-related GHG emissions by 263%. This would require between one to seven Earths to support.

2. Food is critical in our fight against climate change and requires leadership from the G20.

The food we choose to eat, how much is lost or wasted and how it is produced will determine whether we meet the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

3. National dietary guidelines are an opportunity for policymakers to support coherent food and agriculture priorities aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

The national dietary guidelines of G20 countries are inconsistent in their dietary recommendations, and few integrate both health and environmental sustainability.

4. A shift toward healthy and sustainable diets should be a priority in all G20 countries.

Consumption of less healthy and less sustainably produced “lose-lose” foods is too high in most G20 countries, while intake of healthier “win-win” foods is consistently too low.

5. Food-related per-capita emissions in G20 countries as a whole need to be approximately halved by 2050.

Doing so would ensure we can feed 10 billion people healthy diets within planetary boundaries, and enable a more equitable global distribution of food-related GHG emissions.

6. Following the current national dietary guidelines of the G20 countries will not ensure global warming stays below 1.5°C.

Total food-related GHG emissions in G20 countries currently account for approximately 75% of the carbon budget for food, while adopting a healthy flexitarian diet would reduce this to approximately 40%.

7. The G20 countries have a variety of rich and vibrant diets and culinary traditions that require different approaches and scales of intervention to achieve healthy diets within planetary boundaries.

Some countries would require more ambitious reductions in per-capita food related GHG emissions while others may require a slight increase.

Frequently asked questions.

faq
Why is this report so important?
We know a lot about this issue from a global perspective and over the past year several reports have outlined how the global food system needs to transform. This report, however, begins to explore this issue at the country level, with a specific focus on the need for the G20 to lead.
How important is it that we shift to healthy and sustainable diets?
It’s fundamental. Whether we are worried about climate change, the biodiversity crisis, inequality or pandemics, shifting diets is central. Thankfully, the world is beginning to wake up to this fact and the COVID-19 crisis has again highlighted the fragility of the global food system. But more ambitious and rapid change is needed.
What sets this apart from similar reports?
This is one of the first reports to quantify and compare national dietary guidelines and whether they are ambitious enough to achieve the Paris Agreement. We also focus on the G20 and the important leadership role they play in achieving healthy and sustainable diets for everyone on the planet.
Why does this report focus on G20 countries?
The G20 plays an outsized role in global food related emissions. Of the current carbon budget for food, the G20 is using approximately 75% and adoption of current consumption patterns would exceed the planetary boundary for food by 263%. If we truly feel that every single person on the planet has a right to healthy and enough food, then the G20 must step up and lead the way by reducing their food related greenhouse gas emissions.
Do national dietary guidelines really affect what we consume?
National dietary guidelines are more than mere guidelines. They can also be used to determine the public procurement of food, guide public health initiatives and educational programs, and are a key component of public health policy. However, national dietary guidelines will not be effective if the foods they recommend eating are not affordable to all citizens. Therefore, affordability must be elevated as a priority along with health and environmental sustainability and national dietary guidelines must be coherent with food and agriculture priorities.

Why is this report so important?
×

We know a lot about this issue from a global perspective and over the past year several reports have outlined how the global food system needs to transform. This report, however, begins to explore this issue at the country level, with a specific focus on the need for the G20 to lead.

How important is it that we shift to healthy and sustainable diets?
×

It’s fundamental. Whether we are worried about climate change, the biodiversity crisis, inequality or pandemics, shifting diets is central. Thankfully, the world is beginning to wake up to this fact and the COVID-19 crisis has again highlighted the fragility of the global food system. But more ambitious and rapid change is needed.

What sets this apart from similar reports?
×

This is one of the first reports to quantify and compare national dietary guidelines and whether they are ambitious enough to achieve the Paris Agreement. We also focus on the G20 and the important leadership role they play in achieving healthy and sustainable diets for everyone on the planet.

Why does this report focus on G20 countries?
×

The G20 plays an outsized role in global food related emissions. Of the current carbon budget for food, the G20 is using approximately 75% and adoption of current consumption patterns would exceed the planetary boundary for food by 263%. If we truly feel that every single person on the planet has a right to healthy and enough food, then the G20 must step up and lead the way by reducing their food related greenhouse gas emissions.

Do national dietary guidelines really affect what we consume?
×

National dietary guidelines are more than mere guidelines. They can also be used to determine the public procurement of food, guide public health initiatives and educational programs, and are a key component of public health policy. However, national dietary guidelines will not be effective if the foods they recommend eating are not affordable to all citizens. Therefore, affordability must be elevated as a priority along with health and environmental sustainability and national dietary guidelines must be coherent with food and agriculture priorities.
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Our resources connect science with real-world solutions, helping decision makers turn knowledge into action and support healthy, fair and sustainable food for all.
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Critical Points

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Foreword

Dr. Jonathan Foley, the Executive Director of Project Drawdown, outlines why this pressing issue should be at the front of our minds when tackling climate…