The owners of Britain’s five largest supermarkets promised to halve the environmental impact of a weekly food store by the end of the century, as leaders held a key climate change summit in Glasgow.
CEO from Tesco Sainsbury, Whiterose cooperative M&S stated that they will work with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to reduce natural damage.
According to a promise, they will cut the global warming caused by shopping baskets, the forests that were cleared to fill the shopping baskets, the impact of agriculture and seafood in the baskets, and the food waste and packaging they generate by half.
Every year, supermarkets submit data to more than half of British food shoppers World Wildlife Fund And announce their actions.
The stores also promised that by the end of next year, they will set science-based goals to help keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.
These targets will cover all types of emissions-called scope.
“As the chief executive officer of a leading food retailer in the UK, we recognize that a future without nature is a future without food. By 2030, we need to stop the loss of nature,” the supermarket agreed in a joint statement.
WWF CEO Tanya Steele said that if the global food supply problem is not addressed, it is impossible to deal with climate change and control global warming below 1.5C.
“Food production is one of the biggest threats facing our planet. Only when food retailers play a role can we respond to climate and natural emergencies,” she added.
Continued dialogue after Cop26 is critical to making progress
“The promises made by these CEOs are changing the rules of the game. We hope that other food retailers can follow in their footsteps, so that every shopper can be sure that the products they buy will not exacerbate the climate crisis, nor will precious wildlife. Pushing to the brink of extinction.”
The food sector accounts for more than 30% of the total global climate emissions and 60% of the global loss of nature, so reducing its impact may be an important step in tackling climate change.
It emits 17.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is approximately 19 times that of commercial aircraft.
In addition, 20 new governments have signed the Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue Forum, promising that they will start the talks.
FACT members will discuss trade and market development, research, and how to improve agriculture and support for smallholder farmers.
Members include Indonesia and Brazil, which have the largest forests in the world.
It also includes major consumer countries, such as the United Kingdom, whose demand often leads to deforestation elsewhere.
Together, the group represents 75% of global trade in major commodities that threaten forests, such as palm oil, cocoa, and soybeans.
However, the signing only makes them promise to be “willing to engage in an open dialogue,” and the actions are “not exhaustive, non-binding, and not applicable to all situations in all countries.”
Justin Adams, executive director of the Tropical Forest Alliance, said the dialogue group “created new momentum.”
“It is a very important development to unite these governments from the south and north of the world to face the issue of commodity production and deforestation,” he said.
“Continuing the dialogue after Cop26 is critical to making progress.”
Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) expert Matt Williams said: “So far, this summit has basically no food and agriculture, and many countries’ 2030 climate plans do not involve food and agriculture.
“This transaction sowed the seeds for food and agriculture and is considered an important part of the path to net zero emissions.”
Another 27 countries have also signed sustainable agriculture pledges to help them achieve climate goals and shift part of their agricultural subsidies to climate goals.
Also during the Cop26 meeting in Glasgow, the UK announced a £500 million plan. The government said the plan would help protect more than 5 million hectares of tropical rainforest from deforestation, an area almost twice the size of Wales.
Anna Jones of Greenpeace UK said: “Efforts to solve supply chain issues are limited to discussions around agricultural trade terms.
“And there is no need to reduce the demand for meat and dairy products that drive deforestation.”
