As the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment concludes in Rome, we must continue to shine a light on the problem of food loss and waste (FLW) that strains our food systems and our climate. As the world faces the two interconnected crises of a changing climate and food insecurity, one-third of the global food supply is wasted or lost, severely hampering our efforts to end hunger, fight malnutrition, and mitigate climate change. Rotting food also emits methane – a powerful greenhouse gas with 84 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. As a result, FLW contributes approximately 8-10% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If FLW were a country, it would be the third largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world after the U.S. and China. UNEP estimates that FLW is associated with methane emissions near 50 Mt/yr2. This is why we need to act now, initiatives to reduce food loss and waste are critical to combat climate change and improve the overall health of our environment.
This month’s episode of the USAID Kitchen Sink Food Loss and Waste Podcast features a discussion on FLW’s contribution to methane emissions with Malick Haidara, Senior Climate and Energy Advisor and Methane Coordinator at USAID, and Eleni Michalopoulou, a Research Associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute and co-author of the UNEP Global Methane Assessment. Eleni shares the link between FLW and methane as well as the major findings of the UNEP Global Methane Assessment. Malick shares USAID’s efforts to mitigate methane emissions, through the food systems and agriculture, waste and landfill management, and energy pathways. Malick and Eleni conclude their conversation with a discussion of the role of the private sector in reducing FLW and accomplishing the Methane Pledge.
As the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment concludes in Rome, we must continue to shine a light on the problem of food loss and waste (FLW) that strains our food systems and our climate. As the world faces the two interconnected crises of a changing climate and food insecurity, one-third of the global food supply is wasted or lost, severely hampering our efforts to end hunger, fight malnutrition, and mitigate climate change. Rotting food also emits methane – a powerful greenhouse gas with 84 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. As a result, FLW contributes approximately 8-10% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If FLW were a country, it would be the third largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world after the U.S. and China. UNEP estimates that FLW is associated with methane emissions near 50 Mt/yr2. This is why we need to act now, initiatives to reduce food loss and waste are critical to combat climate change and improve the overall health of our environment.
This month’s episode of the USAID Kitchen Sink Food Loss and Waste Podcast features a discussion on FLW’s contribution to methane emissions with Malick Haidara, Senior Climate and Energy Advisor and Methane Coordinator at USAID, and Eleni Michalopoulou, a Research Associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute and co-author of the UNEP Global Methane Assessment. Eleni shares the link between FLW and methane as well as the major findings of the UNEP Global Methane Assessment. Malick shares USAID’s efforts to mitigate methane emissions, through the food systems and agriculture, waste and landfill management, and energy pathways. Malick and Eleni conclude their conversation with a discussion of the role of the private sector in reducing FLW and accomplishing the Methane Pledge.
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(Speaker 1:Nika Larian) Welcome to USAID's Kitchen Sink, a food loss and waste podcast. I'm your producer, Nika Larian. 30 to 40% of the food that is produced is either lost or wasted, contributing to a global food crisis with over 800 million going to bed hungry. Listen on as USAID experts speak with researchers and development professionals to explore solutions to this critical issue that demands a kitchen sink approach. When it comes to climate, food security, and food system sustainability, we have no time to waste.
(Speaker 2:Malick Haidara) Thank you for joining us for the USAID's Kitchen Sink, a food loss and waste podcast. This is a podcast to which USAID brings researchers and developing professionals and other experts to explore approaches to solving the food loss and waste issues that demand a kitchen sink approach. Today's episode will be about the role of addressing food loss and waste in reducing methane emission. My name is Malick Haidara. I am a senior climate and energy advisor in the Bureau for Democracy Development and Innovation at the US Agency for International Development. In my capacity I lead the agency's efforts to integrate method mitigation in relevant livestock, solid waste management, wastewater, and food loss and waste, and oil and gas programming. Today I have the honor to speak with Eleni Michalopoulou, a research associate with the Stockholm Environment Institute. Welcome, Eleni. Please introduce yourself.
(Speaker 3:Elani Michalopoulou) Thank you very much, Malick. The honor is mine. And thank you very, very much for inviting me today. So as you already correctly said and pronounced, my name is Eleni Michalopoulou and I'm a research associate with the Stockholm Environment Institute. I am one of the authors of the Global Methane Assessment and in my role within the Stockholm Environment Institute I have been mostly focusing on climate change and air quality, whether that is on the national level or international level or even with the private sector. Thank you very much again for having me today.- Many thanks, Elaine. That is quite impressive background here. Thanks for agreeing again to speak with us today about this important topic. For the first question, Elaine, can you please explain the link between food loss and waste and methane emission?- Absolutely, again, thank you for this question. So I would say that very simply put, when food is wasted, when food ends up in the garbage. Wherever that happens, so whether it happens on its way to our table or after it has reached our table. So wherever it happens once that food ends up in a landfill, it has the potential of breaking down and creating methane emissions. In the technical language, we would say that food loss and waste is contributing to methane emissions. And this is what we mean by that. Wherever it occurs once it ends up in the landfill, it can become like a mini source of methane emissions.- Thank you, Eleni, for your answer. For the second question here. I understand that the Stockholm Environment Institute, particularly you contributing substantially to the development of the unit Global Methane Assessment. Could you please share the major findings of that assessment? We are particularly interested, as part of this podcast we are interested in the methane emission associated with food loss and waste, and the methane mitigation opportunities that could result from reducing or preventing food loss and waste.- Thank you very much. So Global Methane Assessment was a massive undertaking between quite a lot of scientists, quite a lot of institutes. As you very rightly said, the assessment is very much linked with the UN Environment Program. But it was also spearheaded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which we call the CCAC. And of course there were researchers like myself from the Stockholm Environment Institute, my colleagues, Johan Kuylenstierna and Chris Malley. A lot of colleagues in the US. So it was quite a massive effort. So what the methane assessments or the Global Methane Assessment set out to do was to have a very deep dive into the methane emissions. But then also focus exactly as you said in the mitigation pathways, the mitigation measures. So it wasn't just a report that wanted to show new numbers in relation to the methane emissions. We also really wanted to highlight what can be done to reduce these emissions. Now as I'm sure that you know, both yourself and a lot of your followers of these podcasts are very familiar with, is that methane can cause quite a lot of problems. Well, particularly when it comes to those information there are a lot of impacts on health, on the ecosystems, on the environment. So the Global Methane Assessment really wanted to highlight that. And I think that in terms of the key messages, it makes for quite an interesting read. So again, in quite simple terms, the assessment looks into two types of measures, two broad types of measures. The one type of measure we are referring to within the assessment as targeted measures. And by that phrase we mean those measures that were explicitly put in place to reduce methane emissions. And what you can see if you're going through the assessment, you can see the the reduction that can be achieved by implementing and focusing on those targeted measures. But there is also another type of measures, another broad group of measures that we are referring to within the assessment as additional measures. And this is exactly where food loss and waste enters that discussion within the Global Methane Assessment. So what is very interesting highlighted in the assessment is that the targeted measures alone are not going to allow us to reach that 1.5 compatible pathway when we are talking about methane. These additional measures are very, very much needed for us to reach that target. Under those additional measures, we have things like behavior chains. And this is exactly where food loss and waste is being discussed. So the reduction of food loss and waste plays quite a critical part in that broad group of measures referred to in the assessment as additional. And the reason why I'm saying that the role is quite critical is exactly because the targeted alone won't make the difference, won't make the necessary one to achieve the necessary reductions to reach the 1.5 degree target. But also the additional ones without food loss and waste also want to reach that target. So I would say that within the assessment, that critical role of food loss and waste when it comes to mitigating methane emissions. When it comes to putting together, imagining and compiling the methane mitigation pathways and achieving that goal is quite, quite critical.- Thank you so much, Eleni, for this very good answer. I totally agree with you. Addressing food loss services will be critical to actually not only addressing methane emission. But also I would also say that addressing food and waste will also play a critical role in promoting food security as well as more food becomes available for those population in need. So I think I will actually use that opportunity, since we are in the methane space broadly, I will take that opportunity to talk a little bit about what USAID is actually doing more broadly to mitigate methane emission. So basically we are achieving methane abatement as a core benefit of our development programming in key sector. So similarly intentionally addressing methane through our programming could also have tremendous core benefit in health, energy, and food security. So basically what I'm trying to say here, we're not really supporting methane mitigation intervention for the sake of just reducing methane. Reducing methane has a lot of core benefit in the variety of sectors that we are addressing. So our approach here is through three main pathways. The food system and agricultural pathway, the waste pathway, and the energy pathway. So through the food system and agricultural pathway, we are supporting intervention in the livestock and rice cultivation sector. Particularly in the rice sector, we are working on improving the dairy productivity through a variety of intervention such as animal feed. Improve animal feed, animal husbandry and so forth. And then there's also some other intervention in looking into improving manure management practices. As you know manure is also a really key source of methane emission as well. And in terms of the right cultivation, we are trying to promote a variety of production practices such as alternative wet and drying of rice. And then also promoting a variety of rice seed, drought tolerance seed actually, rice seed. That's what I'm trying to say. I was losing a little bit of word here. And then in the waste pathway as well, there is a variety of intervention that we're supporting. In the landfill management particularly trying to actually cover landfill in some cities. And then also trying to capture any methamphetamine that could be emitted from landfill. And then also diverting some waste as well and to redirect biodegradable components of the waste stream from a landfill for reuse through recycling or conversion to evaluate a product such as compost for example. And in the oil and gas sector as well, we are supporting intervention that include if you will regulatory reform support, pipeline safety training and best practice, practices dissemination and leak detection and repair support as well. So basically in a nutshell, USAID is really looking into intervention in all three key sectors of methane emission. And we are doing it mainly as a core benefit of our current development programming.- Thank you very much. I just wanted to add one very quick comment. I think that one of the exciting things of the Global Methane Assessment is that we have been looking into the different sectors that are contributing to methane emissions. So for instance if you look under agriculture, if you look under waste or especially if you look under the section on food loss and waste, the methane assessment is describing that list of measures. Exactly as you were describing, a list of measures and the list of opportunities but always in relation to other co-benefits. And I think that the discussion around co-benefits is quite an interesting one in itself.- I couldn't agree more, Eleni, with you. Perhaps we can little bit use the few minutes that we have remaining to talk a little bit about the role of the private sector in food loss and waste reduction. So I think I can give a few thoughts here and then you can actually provide your thought on this one here. So in my view I think there are many potential strategies to reduce food loss and waste as you rightly indicated at the beginning of the podcast. And the private sector can play a variety of role at every stage of the food loss and waste processes. That can include at the reproduction of food and handling and storage and the processing and packaging, and distribution and marketing, as well as the consumption level as well. And in here the steps that the private sector can take and include the provision of access to cold storage facilities for example. And 'cause as you know in some instances at the production zone, farmers do not really have access to cool storages and so the production can rot on the field before it even hit the market. And that can be an opportunity for a private sector to play some role there to provide this cool storages for fee for example. Or even to sell this core services to group of farmers that can really afford it. And the private sector can also play some role of the provision of a reliable transportation means as well. Because often even after the production, it can get really challenging for the food to actually reach the consumption zone. Because often the lack of transportation mean then the private sector can actually play some key role there as well. And then the other thing also here is in the diversion of the food loss aspect as well. Because as you know, once the food is actually determined as wasted or lost if you will, there's an opportunity to capture this food. And then to actually turn it into other by products such as compost or animal feed and all of these things can can only be done by the private sector. And I think when the private sector plays this type of role and the most important thing here is to determine how profitable this will be for the private sector. Because often for a sustainable role of the private sector, it has to actually go through some profitability as well. So in the many example that I mentioned, there is an opportunity for the private sector to make money. And that can ultimately translate into a significant reduction of food loss and waste as well. Which will actually lead to a reduction of methane emission as well. On that topic, this is in a nutshell, briefly what I can actually mention here. If you have any thoughts on any role the private sector can play in this space, that would be also helpful.- Thank you very much for the examples and your thoughts on this. I think that I could even take this one step further and say that now that we have the global methane pledges in place which has been signed by 150 countries. Which will be looking to develop those mitigation plans specifically targeting methane. I think that there is an interesting space where exactly those points that you mentioned can start being discussed at that forefront between what the private sector can offer. What the private sector can achieve and what can be discussed and planned on the national level. I think this is a very meaningful discussion you have particularly as we are moving into that space where the countries have to develop the methane plans as per their commitments to the pledge.- Thanks for actually adding that component as well. This is also a critical point in here. With that that actually put an end to today's episode of the Food Loss and Waste podcast. Thank you so much, Eleni, for sharing your expertise with all of us. And I really hope that our listeners will find this episode quite informative. And let us all think about ways we can actually reduce food loss and waste for a variety of purposes, not only for methane mitigation but also for food security as well. Thank you so much, Eleni.- Thank you very much.(upbeat music)
(Speaker 1:Nika Larian) Thank you for tuning in to USAID's Kitchen Sink. This podcast was produced by Nika Larian and is organized by the USAID Food Loss and Waste community of practice co-chairs, Ahmed Kablan and Ann Vaughan. Additional thanks goes to Feed the Future, the US Government's Global Food Security Initiative and the USAID Center for Nutrition.(music playing)