Food Loss and Waste and Methane Emissions with Eleni Michalopoulou

As the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment concludes in Rome, we must continue to shine a light on the problem of food loss and waste (FLW) that strains our food systems and our climate. As the world faces the two interconnected crises of a changing climate and food insecurity, one-third of the global food supply is wasted or lost, severely hampering our efforts to end hunger, fight malnutrition, and mitigate climate change. Rotting food also emits methane – a powerful greenhouse gas with 84 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. As a result, FLW contributes approximately 8-10% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If FLW were a country, it would be the third largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world after the U.S. and China. UNEP estimates that FLW is associated with methane emissions near 50 Mt/yr2. This is why we need to act now, initiatives to reduce food loss and waste are critical to combat climate change and improve the overall health of our environment.

This month’s episode of the USAID Kitchen Sink Food Loss and Waste Podcast features a discussion on FLW’s contribution to methane emissions with Malick Haidara, Senior Climate and Energy Advisor and Methane Coordinator at USAID, and Eleni Michalopoulou, a Research Associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute and co-author of the UNEP Global Methane Assessment. Eleni shares the link between FLW and methane as well as the major findings of the UNEP Global Methane Assessment. Malick shares USAID’s efforts to mitigate methane emissions, through the food systems and agriculture, waste and landfill management, and energy pathways. Malick and Eleni conclude their conversation with a discussion of the role of the private sector in reducing FLW and accomplishing the Methane Pledge.

If you have an idea for an episode topic you’d like to see featured or if you would like to participate in an episode of USAID’s Kitchen Sink, please reach out to Nika Larian ([e-mail]).

There’s no time to waste!