Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector
The dramatic increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by humans over the past century and a half has created an urgency for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions as a first step toward mitigating the effects of climate change. Fifteen percent of global GHG emissions come from agricult...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.789499/full |
| _version_ | 1828132044316606464 |
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| author | Megan Reavis Jenny Ahlen Joe Rudek Kusum Naithani |
| author_facet | Megan Reavis Jenny Ahlen Joe Rudek Kusum Naithani |
| author_sort | Megan Reavis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The dramatic increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by humans over the past century and a half has created an urgency for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions as a first step toward mitigating the effects of climate change. Fifteen percent of global GHG emissions come from agriculture, and companies in the food and beverage industry are starting to set climate goals. We examined the GHG emissions reporting practices and climate goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies (as ranked by Food Engineering) and determined whether their goals are aligned with the science of keeping climate warming well below a 2°C increase. Using publicly disclosed data in CDP Climate reports and company sustainability reports, we found that about two thirds of the top 100 global food and beverage companies disclose at least part of their total company emissions and set some sort of climate goal that includes scope 1 and 2 emissions. However, only about half have measured, disclosed, and set goals for scope 3 emissions, which often encompass about 88% of a company's emissions across the entire value chain on average. We also determined that companies, despite setting scope 1, 2, and 3 emission goals, may be missing the mark on whether their goals are significantly reducing global emissions. Our results present the current disclosure and emission goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies and highlight an urgent need to begin and continue to set truly ambitious, science-aligned climate goals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:57:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d8bb3f1d6ce49e09eb816572d9e78a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:57:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d8bb3f1d6ce49e09eb816572d9e78a12022-12-22T04:13:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2022-01-01510.3389/fsufs.2021.789499789499Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage SectorMegan Reavis0Jenny Ahlen1Joe Rudek2Kusum Naithani3Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United StatesEnvironmental Defense Fund, New York, NY, United StatesEnvironmental Defense Fund, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United StatesThe dramatic increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by humans over the past century and a half has created an urgency for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions as a first step toward mitigating the effects of climate change. Fifteen percent of global GHG emissions come from agriculture, and companies in the food and beverage industry are starting to set climate goals. We examined the GHG emissions reporting practices and climate goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies (as ranked by Food Engineering) and determined whether their goals are aligned with the science of keeping climate warming well below a 2°C increase. Using publicly disclosed data in CDP Climate reports and company sustainability reports, we found that about two thirds of the top 100 global food and beverage companies disclose at least part of their total company emissions and set some sort of climate goal that includes scope 1 and 2 emissions. However, only about half have measured, disclosed, and set goals for scope 3 emissions, which often encompass about 88% of a company's emissions across the entire value chain on average. We also determined that companies, despite setting scope 1, 2, and 3 emission goals, may be missing the mark on whether their goals are significantly reducing global emissions. Our results present the current disclosure and emission goals of the top 100 global food and beverage companies and highlight an urgent need to begin and continue to set truly ambitious, science-aligned climate goals.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.789499/fullgreenhouse gas emissionsfood and beverage sectorclimate goalsemission disclosurescience-based targets |
| spellingShingle | Megan Reavis Jenny Ahlen Joe Rudek Kusum Naithani Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems greenhouse gas emissions food and beverage sector climate goals emission disclosure science-based targets |
| title | Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector |
| title_full | Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector |
| title_short | Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Mitigation Goals of the Global Food and Beverage Sector |
| title_sort | evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and climate mitigation goals of the global food and beverage sector |
| topic | greenhouse gas emissions food and beverage sector climate goals emission disclosure science-based targets |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.789499/full |
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