Serious challenges in Europe’s agri-food systems
A profound rethink of how we produce food and operate global food chains and related industrial processing sectors is needed to make them resilient and sustainable. Much more must be done to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as well as their pressures on water resources and biodiversity — efforts which are currently almost stagnant — according to European Environment Agency (EEA) briefings on agriculture and food systems, published today.
The need for a sustainable food system is already recognised in Europe, but in light of increased impacts of climate change and continued high emissions from agriculture, this shift must be accelerated, according to three related EEA briefings. The transformation of Europe’s agriculture sector and food system has never been more important amid the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and impacts of climate change, all of which raise concerns over food security and resilience.
