Tag: Food Systems

As urbanisation increases, more food is being produced and more food is being wasted. Particularly for cities, wasted food creates severe environmental and public health consequences. But it also presents opportunities to make a positive impact. It has been estimated that managing food waste sustainably could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 518 million tonnes per year globally, which is the equivalent of taking all the cars in the European Union off the road.

Milan’s Mayor Giuseppe Sala says accelerating urbanization is a threat to food security, but thinks cities can also be the answer to the problem. EAT spoke to the leader of the world’s only declaration on urban food policies.

In 2015, cities played a central role at COP21 in Paris, pushing national leaders to reach the ambitious Paris Climate Agreement. The New Urban Agenda, to be adopted at the Habitat III Conference in Quito next week, will join the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and other recent international agreements as part of a global framework for sustainability. After many rounds of negotiations, urban governance and the role of local governments have been recognized in its final draft. This is a success for the collective advocacy of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments – a platform of city networks of which C40 is a member. It is also a sign of the tremendous commitment from mayors to create equitable, prosperous, low-carbon and resilient cities. 

BY C40 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK WATTS: A few months ago I wrote about how mayors are changing the way we think about food. Mayors are leading a revolution to improve the systems of how food is procured, produced, distributed, while minimising and managing food waste; through C40, they are working together to share best practices and new strategies.

This week, as the UN members gather for their General Assembly, I’m participating in a panel discussion on Urban Food Systems, hosted by our partners the EAT Forum, which continues to reinforce the effectiveness of global collaboration among cities. The message that I’ll be sharing is straightforward: climate change is the biggest issue facing us at this time, and cities offer a great platform to bring about change. 

Citizens in most of the world’s cities might expect their mayor to take responsibility for collecting waste, running public transport, or regulating new development, but they might not consider food to be an issue for urban local government. Yet in October 2015, when Mayor of Milan Giuliano Pisapia called upon his fellow mayors to sign the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, 120 cities from around the world, including London, Mexico City, Quito and Shanghai, chose to join forces in an effort to build sustainable and equitable urban food systems. This incredible show of commitment by mayors is an indication of how critical food production and consumption is becoming to protecting our climate, and the health and well-being of urban citizens.