439: Is net zero really achievable for the food and drink industry?

Climate change is the great challenge of our time – a problem so big, that tackling it requires co-operation on a scale we have never seen before. Our reliance on fossil fuels means that most aspects of our lives as individuals, and the economies we rely on, contribute to rising temperatures. And the food and drink industry is central to that. There is no getting away from the fact that the global food and drink industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions; estimated to make up 20 to 30 percent of the total. That means the industry has to play its part when it comes to striving achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Download our new Sustainable Food Digest Net zero means cutting emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed. By doing so, the United Nations says, we may be able to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and therefore limit the worst impacts of climate change. But that is easier said than done. Scientists are already predicting that we will exceed that temperature within five years, albeit temporarily. Targets have been set and good work is being done, but there is plenty more still to do. So, in this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we ask: How is the food industry doing when it comes to its net zero targets? How do we speed up the pace of change? And what challenges lie ahead? Guests: Andy Wright, Director of Responsible Business, Samworth Brothers Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change and Energy Policy, Food and Drink Federation