WWF - UK needs to rethink way it eats in order to meet Paris Agreement targets

27 Jun 2017 09:42 AM

WWF launches new report that offers practical dietary guidelines that could help keep global warming well below 2°C as agreed in the Paris Agreement

WWF has today a new report ,“Eating for 2 degrees – new and updated Livewell Plates” , which shows how following simple steps, such as reducing the amount of red or processed meat for alternatives like vegetable protein and meat replacers such as Soy, could help to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 20301.

The Livewell Plates illustrate the minimal dietary changes needed to meet the Paris Agreement commitment to keep global warming well below 2°C. Globally, 20% of total direct carbon emissions are from food and agriculture.

This is the second Livewell report4, which now includes Plates for adolescents (10-17), the elderly (65-85) and vegans, as well as adults (18-64). It also looks into water use and land footprint as part of the environmental factors alongside carbon footprint. Key updates to the report include:

• An increase in meat replacers, such as Soy and an increase in legumes, nuts and oil seeds
• An increase in farmed fish such as salmon
• Lower consumption of meat – red, white and processed

Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is a key factor to the balance of the Livewell Plates and the report outlines ways to reduce food’s carbon footprint while still ensuring people get a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, two servings of fish per week, and a maximum of 70 grams per day of red and processed meat – with the occasional cake and packet of crisps. To achieve this, people are advised to follow the 6 Livewell Principles:

• Eat more plants – enjoy vegetables and whole grains
• Eat a variety of foods – have a colourful plate
• Waste less food – one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted
• Moderate your meat consumption, both red and white – enjoy other sources of protein such as peas, beans and nuts
• Buy food that meets a credible certified standard – consider MSC, free-range and fair trade
• Eat fewer foods high in fat, salt and sugar – keep foods such as cakes, sweets and chocolate as well as cured meat, fries and crisps to an occasional treat. Choose water, avoid sugary drinks and remember that juices only account for one of your 5-a-day however much you drink

Duncan Williamson, Food Policy Manager at WWF-UK, said: “What we eat and how it’s produced has consequences for the whole planet. By changing our diet and improving production efficiency in the food system, we can make a major contribution to the impact what we eat has on our environment. Indeed, now that the Paris Agreement is in force we have binding commitments to reduce carbon emissions, and changes to what and how much we eat as well as how much we waste, will need to be part of the solution. This report illustrates what it means for our plate to meet our Paris climate commitments and keep the increase in global temperature below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

“What is clear is that we need to have a public conversation around this. Our aim is to use this report to shape policy maker's thinking and put pressure on the UK Government to develop healthy eating advice (in the form of the Eatwell Guide) that incorporates sustainability at its heart.”

For further information, please contact the media team on: 01483 412383 or press@wwf.org.uk

Notes to editor

The report was developed with the help of Blonk Consultants optimisation tool, Optimeal. This is a generic diet optimisation tool developed by Blonk Consultants in cooperation with the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, used with a country-specific database for the UK.

1. Reduction in consumption related greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels
2. 1990 figures had carbon footprint at 7.28 CO2eq compared with predicted 2.33 kg CO2eq by 2030 which is outlined in the report
3. Rather than just adults, the new report has been developed for adults (18-64), adolescents (10-17), the elderly (65-85) and vegans
4. The report updates the Livewell Plate which was first published in 2011 in the report Livewell: a balance of healthy and sustainable food choices.