Meat to take spotlight at COP28 food systems day

The COP28 climate conference in Dubai will hold a Food, Agriculture and Water Day on Dec. 10. A first-ever day devoted to food systems at the United Nations climate conference, it comes amidst a series of UN reports on the consumption of meat and the role of meat alternatives, including an anticipated UN road map encouraging developed nations to curb meat consumption.

Mario Herrero is a professor of sustainable food systems at Cornell University and a co-author on a new report on lab-grown meat and its impact on the environment and human health, from the United Nations Environment Programme.

Herrero says:

“Novel alternatives to animal-sourced foods can potentially play an important role in shifting our food systems in ways that are more sustainable, healthier and less harmful to animals, humans, and the planet.”

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Daniel Mason-D’Croz is a senior research associate at Cornell focused on sustainable food systems around the world. Like Herrero, Mason-D’Croz is a co-author on the UNEP report on lab-grown meat and its climate and health impacts.

Mason-D’Croz says:

“In order to translate these findings into actionable policy change, it’s critical that we fully account for benefit-cost analyses and take account of political dynamics and incentives within the food system.

“Globally, more than two billion people suffer from food insecurity, and a substantial number of the world's poor are farmers, so changes in the way we produce, distribute and consume animal-sourced foods must be directed in ways that ease, not exacerbate, food insecurity and inequality.”


For more information, see this Cornell Chronicle story. Cornell University has dedicated television and audio studios available for media interviews.

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