"What kept us from jumping over the cliff in writing this report was the really promising solutions," says Tim Searchinger, lead author of the new synthesis of the World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future. In this podcast, he joins co-authors Rich Waite and Janet Ranganathan to discuss today's food system and its climate impact – and just what exactly it will take to sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050.
With food and the environment in the news, pundits and diners alike are wondering about beef production's environmental footprint, do 'food miles' really matter, and is reducing food waste really a greenhouse gas mitigation strategy?
Food is the mother of most environment and development issues – deforestation, malnutrition, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, climate change, water pollution and more. By improving the way the world's food is grown and consumed, WRI's research shows we can treat the cause, not just the symptoms.
While not every solution WRI identified is for everyone, there's something – and often multiple solutions – that governments, companies and consumers can use to move the world toward a food system that's better for people and planet.