At the conference, 120 countries signed a declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action, which segued well with our emissions ambition. It calls for countries to double down and focus on efficiency and productivity as the globe manages the dual challenges of emissions and food security. It is anticipated that the world will require 40% more food by 2050 and the declaration acknowledges the need for carbon efficient dairy, sheep and beef as producers of protein.
It was accepted that nutrition and climate go hand-in-hand. Right now, you’ve got a climate crisis, a cost of living crisis, a food security crisis. Separating out these things is not sustainable and isn’t useful to find a solution. Topics that were controversial at previous COPs, such as animal protein production, were no longer controversial and were openly discussed at COP28.
COP28 asserted that the opportunity lies improving the efficiency of food production, in particular in developing countries. In essence, we need a way to increase the amount of food produced without increasing the amount of agricultural land.
Part of our COP mission was in support of advocating for dairy as a key part of the global diet. This meant we participated alongside Global Dairy Platform whose aim is to demonstrate dairy’s contribution to global food systems, lead healthy diets and sustainable livelihoods. One of the large global funders at COP28 was impressed that New Zealand was taking a leadership role of this scale.
COP28 was also a great opportunity to connect with our Dubai office, the Consulate, our key global customers, and the New Zealand Government with the new minister on the ground. It was a really positive experience to have Fonterra and politicians at the same sessions and talking to the same priorities.
There was certainly no shortage of customers at COP28 and we also met with our suppliers from around the world as well, such as Tetrapak from Sweden. All were interested, and impressed, by our emissions targets, the clarity we provided and leadership given. It was good to hear feedback directly from our large suppliers and customers on this work.
COP28 laid down the expectations for change, and countries are now expected to work on their own pathways to see this through to fruition. It won’t be until COP30in Brazil that we really start to see a lot of the work in play and know if we’re on track globally.
From the Co-op’s perspective, COP28affirmed our approach around efficient dairy production, and that the nexus between trade and sustainability is now an intangible link. We export 95% of our product. Having the right climate ambition is vital for us to be able to maintain that market access in the future and provide ongoing benefits for our farmers. Collectively, we are a vital part of the global push to sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action.