Special Issue “Levering Sustainable Food Systems to Address Climate Change (Pandemics and Other Shocks and Hazards): Possible Transformations”

ABSTRACT

Since we first conceived of this Special Issue, “Levering Sustainable Food Systems to Address Climate Change—Possible Transformations”, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [1], we have until 2030 to enact unprecedented changes to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change, and to adapt to unavoidable climate disruption already underway. [...]we concur with their conclusion: “Our goal must be to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report, which recommends greenhouse gas reductions of 45 per cent below 2010 levels by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050” [9] (p. 2). By contrast, transforming this food system model creates opportunities to help tackle climate change, improve human health, mitigate biodiversity losses (including species extinctions), renew soil health and foster more inclusive societies.