Climate Action - Action for Local Food

According to new research from Sustain action is needed for councils to tackle food's role in the climate and nature emergency. The report cites that two thirds of Council climate action plans miss out food, despite food and farming contributing between 20-30 per cent of global greenhouse gass emissions.

Only 13 out of 92 climate emergency plans released by UK councils include policies to tackle food emissions at a scale needed
Two thirds (67%) of climate action plans contain no new or substantial proposals to tackle food-related emissions at all, even though the food and farming sector constitutes 20-30% emissions globally
National Government must do more - via the National Food Strategy and other policies - or the UK risks missing national and international commitments to tackling greenhouse gas emissions
The top councils for tackling food emissions were Bristol City, Camden, Cornwall County, County Durham, East Lothian, Enfield, Hounslow, Lewisham, Middlesbrough, Stockport, Stroud District, Somerset West & Taunton, and Southwark.

This is is why our Climate Action Fund project 'Action for Local Food' has a strong emphasis on Islington becoming one of the top councils for tacklingn food emissions. The Action for Local Food project is funded through the National Lottery's Climate Action Fund along with match funding from Islington Council to support the development of a community-led sustainable growing strategy, which will feature urban food growing.

We are also focusing on how Islington can 'design out' food waste, identify and secure land for more local food growing, along with how we can adopt a more sustainable approach to growing through permaculture, and harvest more water.

It is important that our Action for Local Food project in Islington is community-led, so January 2021 will see the launch of a series of Movement Maker events to engage local communities in all aspects of the project.