Page 58 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 23

Food health
Food Health

TACKLING THE CLIMATE CRISIS BY ADDRESSING

FOOD CONSUMPTION

by GRAIN | 16 Nov 2023 Climate

https://grain.org/en/article/7061-tackling-the-climate-crisis-by-addressing-food-consumption

t is now common knowledge growth as the measure of our The same holds true when it
that we have to transform success as societies. Research comes to food, the second largest
Iboth how we produce and shows that “greening” economic source of global climate emissions
how we use energy to disrupt growth is not enough, as it would after fossil fuels. Not only do we
the current trajectory of climate take us hundreds of years to have to change how we produce
change. Simply switching from achieve the impact we need. We food, but also how we consume it.
“polluting” energy sources to have to radically cut emissions This may seem self-evident, but,
“clean” ones will not work. We and we have to do it fast. like the proverbial “elephant in
actually have to produce and use And, politically, we know that the room”, the consumption side
less energy altogether if we are decolonization – securing justice of the ledger is regularly ignored
to keep our planet livable while in the distribution of resources, or insufficiently addressed – and
fighting for justice and equity power and wealth – has to be our it is becoming increasingly urgent
in terms of who can access and compass. It is a small number of to do so. Global food consumption
consume energy. highly industrialized societies alone could add nearly 1°C to
Some people call this “de- that are driving the profligate planetary warming by 2100 and
growth”, or getting off the overconsumption of our planet’s we may already be reaching
mindset that considers economic resources. the 1.5ºC limit set by the Paris

58 | we tell the true afrikan story