Ruminating on sustainable food systems in a net-zero world

In a recent paper published in Nature Sustainability, researchers from FABLE Norway explore the complexities of sustainability within the food system, focusing on ruminant production and consumption as an example. The paper proposes ways forward in line with global and national climate, environment and health targets as well as important local values.

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Authors: Bob van Oort, Anne Sophie Daloz, Robbie Andrew, Fay Madeleine Farstad, Monica Guillen-Royo, Erlend Andre T. Hermansen, Nina Bergan Holmelin, Steffen Kallbekken, Anton Orlov, Jana Sillmann, Katrine Skagen, Nora Svarstad Ytreberg.


Abstract

For as long as sustainable food systems have been on the global agenda, the meaning of ‘sustainable’ has been hotly debated. Discussing the use and abuse of the term sustainability in the food-system context, we select a specific case to illustrate this discussion, examine various sustainability arguments and propose ways forward for reduced meat aligned with local values and global needs. A contextual, transparent and nuanced debate can avoid policies informed by vested interests and straw-man arguments, which can backfire and hurt many of the very interests that the sector and policies aim to protect.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Norwegian Research Council (NRC) grant number 300253 to NorthWesternPaths as part of the FABLE Consortium, NRC grant number 319892 to the VOM project, NRC grant number 160015/F40 on Climate change risk, German Research Foundation (DFG) grant number 390683824 to the CLICCS project and EU-H2020 grant number 101003276 to MYRIAD-EU.

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