Putting Food Waste on the Climate Action Table in the US and China

At long last food was on the climate negotiation table at the COP28. Lauded as one of the most positive outcomes of the COP, 159 countries signed the Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action committing to integrate agriculture and food systems into their national climate plans.

Agrifood systems generate 31% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This declaration prioritizes climate action, aiming to mitigate these emissions and aid food systems in climate change adaptation. One notable low-hanging fruit is reducing the substantial methane emissions from food loss and waste.

China and the United States, both global leaders in food waste, have a key role to play in this area. In the US, where 38% of all food goes unsold or uneaten, this food waste generates 6% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. China faces similar food waste challenges.

At this meeting, four panelists will speak about top-down and ground-up actions to reduce food waste in US and China. Chuanbin Zhou (Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science) will kick off the panel with an overview of the scale of food waste and its climate footprint in China. He will also cover top-down policies and urban innovations to rein in food waste. Shiyang Li (Rare China Center for Behavior) will share stories of an innovative behavioral-centered approach that forms a key part of an EU-funded initiative to reduce food waste in micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) restaurants across China.

Pete Pearson (WWF-US) and Dana Gunders (ReFED) will discuss the newly launched US Food Waste Pact, a national voluntary agreement enabling pre-competitive food company collaboration and data-driven action to reduce food waste. Pete and Dana will share stories of corporate and community actions under the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment, the model for this national pact.