Codex Planetarius and the 1% Solution: Minimizing and Addressing the Climate Impacts of Food Production and Trade

Program

• Moderator: Peter Umunay; GEF Secretariat
• Opening remarks: Mohamed Bakarr; Manager, Integration and KM&L Division, GEF Secretariat
• Presentation: Jason Clay; Senior Vice President, Markets, and Executive Director, Markets Institute @ WWF
• Panel discussion
• Closing remarks: Mohamed Bakarr

Background

Insufficient attention has been paid to what is perhaps the most complex climate issue of all: How to reduce the environmental footprint of producing food while simultaneously addressing the impact of climate change on future food production and natural resources. Food production is responsible for 70% of habitat and biodiversity loss, 70% of human freshwater use, and 78% of effluent, 50% of topsoil loss, and 24-35% of greenhouse gas emissions. Increases in population, per capita income, and dietary shifts are putting even more pressure on the planet and its ability to regenerate renewable natural resources.

Current market prices do not cover the actual costs of food production, and most governments can’t afford the investments in their food systems required to make them more sustainable and resilient. Codex Planetarius, as proposed, would reduce the environmental impacts of food produced for global trade (now 30% of global production and growing) by establishing minimum performance levels to address the 6-8 key impacts of food production, including, in addition to the impacts discussed above, soil health and illegality. That would help to ensure that humanity is able to meet increasing demand for food without degrading critical natural resources while also reducing its contribution to climate change.

WWF has identified actions and strategies that would remove significant carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from global food trade and reduce and restore 7.6 gigatons of land based CO2 equivalent emissions by 2040. Those efforts would be funded by “The 1% Solution,” a 1% environmental service fee added to the price of food exports, 100% of which would be used to reduce the biggest impacts of producing food.