Arab News, Sat, Dec 09, 2023 | Jumada Al-Uola 25, 1445
COP28: US-UAE climate-friendly farming effort grows to $17bn
Saudi Arabia:
Funding for a joint effort by the US and the UAE to advance climate-friendly
farming around the world has grown to more than $17 billion, the countries
announced on Friday at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, according to Reuters.
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate was
launched in 2021 at COP26 in Glasgow and its funding comes from governments,
companies, and non-governmental organizations.
Globally, food and farming contribute about a
third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN’s Food and
Agriculture Organization.
Nearly 80 projects have been announced under the
AIM for Climate initiative since 2021, with goals to expand agricultural
research, implement sustainable farming practices, and reduce methane emissions.
“I think it’s made people think about food and
agriculture in a much different way,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told
Reuters on the sidelines of the conference, adding: “And I think it’s reflected,
frankly, in the fact that this COP ... has actually elevated food (and)
agriculture to the point where it’s an integral part of COP meetings. That has
not been the case for the previous 27.”
Funding for the effort has grown from $13 billion
in May, when the US and the UAE co-hosted an AIM for Climate summit in
Washington, and from $8 billion at COP27.
The new total includes $12 billion from
governments and $5 billion from non-government parties such as companies and
humanitarian organizations, said an AIM for Climate spokesperson.
The 27 new projects announced at COP28 range in
size from $500 million to $150,000.
In one of the largest projects, companies
including Bunge and Alphabet’s Google are working with the Nature Conservancy
and the Brazilian state of Para to expand regenerative agriculture, which
generally refers to practices like reduced tillage of cropland and lower
pesticide use.
For the first time, agriculture is a major focus
at this year’s climate summit, with a full day on Dec. 10 dedicated to food and
farming topics.
“We understand that we need to speed up
innovations ... to be able to transform agriculture food systems to more
sustainable systems,” the UAE’s Minister for Climate and the Environment Mariam
Almheiri told Reuters.
Advocacy groups want the nations and companies in
attendance to pledge to tackle agricultural methane emissions in particular,
most of which is from livestock production.