Politique visant à réduire les émissions de méthane et à nourrir davantage de personnes

April 3, 2024 — The Harvard Law School Clinique de droit et de politique alimentaire (FLPC) et Le réseau mondial des banques alimentaires (GFN), avec le soutien du Hub mondial du méthane (GMH), are presenting two new papers on how Mexique et Équateur can reduce methane emissions and improve food security with stronger legislation to support food recovery.  

A third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted, causing corrosive effects on global hunger and climate change. While so much food is squandered, 733 million people are chronically undernourished and a third of the world can’t afford a healthy diet. That wasted food rots in landfills, producing potent methane gas, and is estimated to account for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.  

The two papers focus on Mexico and Ecuador, respectively, after food banks in each country participated in the first phase of GFN’s Food Recovery to Avoid Methane Emissions (FRAME) methodology. Demonstrating the effectiveness of food banks at simultaneously mitigating methane emissions and addressing food insecurity, the reports serve as a guide for how policymakers in Mexico and Ecuador can maximize the impact of food banks and other food recovery organizations.  

“Our member food banks in Mexico and Ecuador are proven examples of how food recovery and redistribution can reduce hunger and emissions at the same time and their efforts can be multiplied with stronger national legislation,” said Lisa Moon, president and CEO of The Global FoodBanking Network. “These reports show there is no cookie cutter legislation to reduce food loss and waste and increase food recovery. The included recommendations are tailored to lawmakers in Mexico and Ecuador, respectively, and enable them to take bold action in favor of people and the planet.” 

“These reports highlight a crucial intersection: reducing food waste not only combats climate change by mitigating potent methane emissions, but also directly addresses food insecurity,” said Emily Broad Leib, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School. “By providing concrete, country-specific policy recommendations for Mexico and Ecuador, we’re demonstrating how targeted legal frameworks can empower food recovery organizations to maximize their impact. The Food Law and Policy Clinic is committed to supporting these efforts, ensuring that effective policies translate into real-world solutions that benefit both people and the planet.” 

Key recommendations in Mexico include: 

• Carbon tax: ensure carbon tax revenues are directed towards environmental projects, with a share dedicated specifically to food waste deterrence projects, including food banks 

• Carbon markets: include food banks in deliberation on carbon markets and provide grants or other financial support to enable food banks to enter carbon markets 

• Food waste deterrence: prohibit dumping of organic waste in landfills and strengthen compliance, enforcement and taxing of those who dump organic waste to generate revenue for reduction efforts 

Key recommendations in Ecuador include: 

• Zero Carbon Program (Programa Ecuador Carbono Cero, PECC): ensure food banks can participate in the program, financially support their inclusion in the efforts, and collect robust food waste data on baselines levels and reduction efforts 

• Tax incentives: create tax benefits for food producers to increase food donations and build infrastructure to support food recovery and redistribution 

• Food recovery from agricultural producers: provide grants or incentives to enable agricultural producers to donate unsellable produce and invest in cold chain infrastructure to extend the life of donated produce 

L’Atlas mondial des politiques de dons alimentaires identifies existing laws and policies that support or hinder food waste reduction and food recovery and offers policy recommendations for strengthening frameworks and adopting new measures to fill existing gaps. The analyses featured in country-specific reports and topical policy issue briefs are also encapsulated in an interactif Atlas outil qui permet aux utilisateurs de comparer les politiques entre les pays participant au projet.  

Atlas recherche de projet est disponible pour 25 pays sur les cinq continents plus l’Union européenne. Une carte interactive, des guides juridiques, des recommandations politiques et des résumés pour chaque pays sont disponibles à l'adresse suivante : atlas.foodbanking.org.  

###  

À PROPOS DE LA CLINIQUE DES LOIS ET POLITIQUE ALIMENTAIRES DE HARVARD  

Since 2010, the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) has served partner organizations and communities in the U.S. and around the world by providing guidance on cutting-edge food system issues, while engaging law students in the practice of food law and policy. FLPC is committed to advancing a cross-sector, multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach to its work, building partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, non-profit organizations, private sector actors, and civil society with expertise in public health, the environment, and the economy. FLPC’s work focuses on increasing access to nutritious foods, addressing the climate-related impacts of food and agricultural systems, reducing waste of healthy, wholesome food, and promoting food system justice. For more information, visit chlpi.org/food-law-and-policy.

À PROPOS DU RÉSEAU MONDIAL DES BANQUES ALIMENTAIRES
Les banques alimentaires offrent une solution à la fois à la faim chronique et à la crise climatique. GFN travaille avec des partenaires dans plus de 50 pays pour récupérer et rediriger la nourriture vers ceux qui en ont besoin. En 2023, notre réseau a fourni de la nourriture à plus de 40 millions de personnes, réduisant ainsi le gaspillage alimentaire et créant des communautés saines et résilientes. Nous aidons le système alimentaire à fonctionner comme il se doit : nourrir les gens et la planète ensemble. Pour en savoir plus, rendez-vous sur banquealimentaire.org   

À PROPOS DE GLOBAL METHANE HUB  

Le Global Methane Hub est une alliance philanthropique unique en son genre visant à soutenir la réduction des émissions de méthane dans le monde. Le méthane, un superpolluant, est responsable de plus de 45 % du réchauffement climatique récent. Pour réduire la pollution au méthane afin d'avoir une chance de sauver notre climat de notre vivant, le Global Methane Hub organise et réunit des gouvernements, des chefs de file de l'industrie, des scientifiques et des organisations à but non lucratif du monde entier pour minimiser la pollution au méthane grâce à la technologie et à des politiques et réglementations publiques de bon sens. Depuis 2021, le Global Methane Hub a catalysé plus de 14 milliards de livres sterling d'investissements dans des projets de réduction du méthane en réunissant des bailleurs de fonds axés sur la lutte contre le changement climatique, a levé 1500 millions de livres sterling de fonds communs auprès de plus de 20 des plus grandes organisations philanthropiques climatiques pour accélérer l'atténuation du méthane dans le monde entier, et a réattribué stratégiquement 14 milliards de livres sterling à plus de 100 bénéficiaires menant des travaux de réduction du méthane dans 152 pays. Pour en savoir plus sur Global Methane Hub, visitez globalmethanehub.org.