Opinion: Why our UAE COP 28 presidency is hyperfocused on food systems

The United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 28, will put the focus squarely on food systems and agriculture, encouraging governments to update their nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, with specific food targets, and gathering commitments from private and public sector stakeholders for funding and technology. Last month, the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report delivered a sobering reminder: over 700 million people face hunger worldwide and 3 billion people cannot afford a nutritious diet. With climate change already upending our food systems and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of farmers, those numbers are only going to climb. But the problem does not stop there. As well as being a primary victim of our changing weather patterns, agriculture is a primary cause. The food systems on which we all rely – from growing to storing, processing, packaging, transporting, consuming and, unfortunately, wasting — are responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity. Last week, I joined world leaders in Rome as part of the U.N. Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment to assess progress made globally to tackle the twin challenges: We need to make nutritious food more accessible and affordable, and we need to make the way we produce it more resilient and sustainable. The venue and timing were particularly appropriate. In July, the mercury in Rome soared to 41.8 degrees Celsius, smashing a previous record set only last year. Such temperatures wreak havoc on farms and farmers. A European heat wave in 2018 led to multiple crop failures, slashing yields by up to 50%. Last year in the United Kingdom, fruit and vegetables withered in parched orchards and fields. By 2040, such heat waves will be 12 times as common as in pre-industrial times. Over the coming decades, crop yields and fishing catches in climate-vulnerable regions could decline by as much as 35%, leading to even more hunger and hardship. Besides evermore frequent droughts, farmers will have to contend with more agricultural pests and more virulent crop and livestock diseases. For farmers, retreating to the shelter of shade or air conditioning is not an option. As a water-scarce country, the UAE knows this only too well. Our nation is working domestically and internationally to drive positive change in balancing climate and food production. We have a strong National Food Security Strategy, and have recently announced the third update of our second NDC — to place a strong focus on food and agriculture. In Rome, I launched the COP 28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda to make our food and agriculture systems more equitable, accessible and sustainable. Such efforts will receive unprecedented attention at COP 28 later this year. Strengthening and decarbonizing food systems starts with national leadership. Governments need to demonstrate their commitment by building food strategies into their NDCs, along with their wider plans for dealing with the impacts of climate change. This year, we are asking all countries to step up and include targets within their NDCs, national adaptation plans, or NAPs, and national biodiversity strategies and action plans, or NBSAPs, to decarbonize their food systems — making them better for humans and better for the planet. Together, we need to transform theories into tangible realities. That means implementing solutions like regenerative agriculture — a way of farming that works in harmony with nature, not against it. By embracing biodiversity, crop diversity, and organic fertilizer, we can restore the health of our soils, turning them into a store of carbon dioxide, not a source. And all while continuing to produce the food we need. The participation of nonstate groups is just as crucial. The private sector, cities, producers, consumers, youth and civil society all have a role to play. So too does scientific innovation. The UAE is committed to promoting new technologies, techniques and practices that can help farmers and others respond to climate change. Together with over 50 countries, our Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, or AIM4C, is also working to increase investment in climate-smart agriculture by demonstrating collective commitment and enabling cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. Scaling up such initiatives in partnership with the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture will be a key focus at COP 28 as we help communities adapt to and mitigate against rising temperatures and climate shocks. But nothing significant can happen without funding, the cornerstone of change. For this reason, at COP 28 we are launching a Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda to draw attention and resources to this pressing need. By upgrading our food systems, we can help achieve climate objectives while making food more accessible and affordable. At the same time, we will be helping protect the livelihoods of millions of farmers around the world and the natural systems in which they work. Food systems must be at the heart of the global dialogue on climate impacts and climate change. As we move toward COP 28, we have no choice but to reshape our relationship with what we eat and the way we produce it. With decisive action and global collaboration, we can create a resilient, sustainable, and equitable food system that will yield a healthier, greener planet.