Our Top Stories
The soil is key: Marginal improvements to agricultural soils around the world would store enough carbon to keep the world within 1.5C of global heating, according to the Guardian. Using better farming techniques to store 1% more carbon in about half of the world’s agricultural soils would be enough to absorb about 31 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide a year. That amount is not far off the 32 gigatonne gap between current planned emissions reduction globally per year and the amount of carbon that must be cut by 2030 to stay within 1.5°C. By supporting regenerative agricultural practices, we can shift the tide in the fight against climate change. [The Guardian]
Consumers demand transparency: KamCity sheds light on new research from Bord Bia, which suggests 61% of consumers in the UK have a lack of trust in the claims top grocery companies make when it comes to declaring their carbon footprint. The confusion seems to stem from the proliferation of buzzwords, including ‘sustainability’, ‘environmental’, and ‘carbon positive’. Businesses need to be specific about the impact of their products, and present emissions data in a clear, recognisable format. We can also educate customers to a higher level, providing them with the tools to make it easy to engage in the conversation around the climate and consumerism. [KamCity]
Legally challenging England’s Food Strategy: Activists will argue that ministers broke the law by failing to make plans to cut consumption of meat and dairy in England, after they were granted permission for a full judicial review of the government’s food strategy. The Climate Change Committee has identified substantial reductions in meat and dairy consumption as being essential to tackle the climate emergency. But when the 27-page national food strategy was published 12 months ago it included no specific policies supporting the transition to a low-carbon diet. [The Guardian]
Business Spotlight - PepsiCo
PepsiCo has shared its 2022 ESG Summary, its first report disclosing its sustainability progress since launching the pep+ programme - the company’s Positive Agriculture strategy which aims to scale regenerative farming across seven million acres of land by 2030. Some key successes include reducing carbon emissions from agriculture by more than 330,000 tonnes, improving water-use efficiency by 22% in operations in high water-risk areas, and providing safe water access to a further 12 million people in 2022 (an almost 20% increase overall). [Sustainability Magazine]
Research Corner
Trapped gas: Gabrielle Kleber and her team have found that as the Arctic warms, shrinking glaciers are exposing bubbling groundwater springs which could provide an underestimated source of global methane. Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. The additional methane emissions released by the Arctic thaw could ramp-up human-induced climate change, since the springs studied hadn't previously been recognised as a potential source of methane emissions. [Nature]
Stat Attack
“59% of consumers have no awareness of what their carbon footprint should even be, and 51% claim to need help in lowering their carbon footprint, as they currently face a myriad of barriers when they attempt to be more carbon friendly.”
Source: Bord Bia
The Big Picture
About Reewild
The food and agriculture industry is at the heart of the climate crisis, generating around a third of man-made greenhouse emissions. And while the challenge of reducing its impact may seem beyond our grasp, it is one that we all have the power to tackle.
We believe that the solution lies in climate transparency. That’s why we’re equipping businesses with the means to evaluate and communicate the emissions of their products. This, in turn, means consumers are armed with credible, independent information, which can be used to make more sustainable choices.
We know that many people want to take climate action but lack the necessary tools and information to do so. We're confident that, armed with the right knowledge, everyone can and will do their bit to build a greener, more sustainable food system.
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