Antony Froggatt, Chatham House

Antony Froggatt, Chatham House

Antony explains that agriculture is not part of the wider agenda at COP21 and that there are clear omissions in the agreement considering the contribution of livestock to greenhouse gas emissions. He feels this is because agriculture isn’t given the attention it deserves, meat consumption is seen as culturally sensitive and addressing diet is something governments are reluctant to do. By 2050 meat consumption is projected to increase by 70%, which is unsustainable from a health and environmental perspective. The Global North already consumes more meat than is healthy contributing to obesity. Antony analysed the INDCs and found that only 20 mentioned livestock and only China mentioned efficiency regarding food production. Antony hopes that post Paris countries will look at sectors like agriculture to see how they can increase ambition to meet the 2-degree target. Finally he explains transformative change is needed.