COP23 Transformative Action for Our Future

High-Level Week

^11/17

Friday

10:30
-
12:00

13:00
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14:30

Friday, November 17

13:00 - 14:30

Event title	What You Eat Matters: Climate Change, Food Security, and Public Health
Contents	This seminar is regarding the interaction of climate change with food security and public health with specific examples of developing countries. Climate change affects food security and public health through agricultural production. Meanwhile the latter in return changes the climate via emissions to air, water, and soil. Some examples of the climate impact include bird flu, heavy metal toxicity in rice, food safety and climate refugees in Africa whereas sandstorms, PM2.5, water pollution are examples of the agricultural production and processing impact. Our research not only elaborates the interaction between climate change and food security and public health, but also quantifies the mutual impacts with empirical data. To carry out the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement, it is key to understand and balance the interaction of climate change and agriculture issues for individual, industries, and governments. Given the relative larger share of the agricultural sector played in developing countries’ economies, these issues are particularly important for them. Policy implications and potential solutions are suggested based on analysis results.
Keywords	Climate Change, Agriculture Sustainability, Developing Economies, Public Health
Speakers Name and Title	Lei Lei (Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO)) Jinjun Xue (Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University) Yukari Takamura (Professor, Applied Social System Institute of Asia (ASSIA), Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University) Nicola Cantore (Industrial Development Officer, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)) Zhu Liu (Research Associate, Harvard University, Lecture/Assistant Professor, University of East Anglia, Associate Professor, Nagoya University)
Organiser / Co-organiser	Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization Nagoya University

Report

Final Programme

Introduction (5 min):

Prof. Yukari Takamura Professor, Applied Social System Institute of Asia (ASSIA)/ Graduate School of Environmental Studies of Nagoya University, Japan

Presentations (65 min):
“Climate Change, Food Security and Public Health” (25min)

Prof. Jinjun Xue, Professor, Applied Social System Institute of Asia (ASSIA), /Graduate School of Economics of Nagoya University, Japan
Dr. Zhu Liu, Research Associate, Harvard University, Lecture/Assistant Professor, University of East Anglia, Associate Professor, Nagoya University, USA

”Climate change and agri-food industry: a global view” (20min)

Dr. Nicola Cantore, Industrial Development Officer, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

”The Impact of Dietary Patterns on Environmental Sustainability- the Case of China”(20min)

Dr. Lei Lei, Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO), Japan

Q&A (20 min)

Session Summary

The session provided an overview of the global interaction between climate change, public health, and agriculture production with a specific case study at the end.

Analysis data and figures were shown to illustrate the general trend of climate change globally, how much climate change negatively affects public health, and how daily consumption affects climate change in the first presentation by prof. Xue and Dr. Liu.

The second presentation by Dr. Cantore elaborated on the impact of climate change on agricultural production especially agri-food industry thorough data supports, from prospective including productivity, supply and demand, migration, and so on. Challenges and prospects of organic agri-food industry were also presented.

The last presentation by Dr. Lei demonstrated the impact of agriculture on climate change and public health through food consumption with a case of China. The case provided a new prospect to study the climate change issue.

With the problems being identified in all the presentations, heated discussion was carried out among the panelists and audiences (experts from related fields) within the theoretical framework of development and international trade. Suggestions and potential solutions were provided such as adopting organic farming, shortening supply chain, identifying leading stakeholders for further governance.

Key Messages

Pollution and GHG emission from the agricultural sector are significant for the climate change issue.
Climate change could thread food security and agricultural sustainability through affecting agriculture production.
As an individual consumer, everyone has the potential and capacity to affect climate change through daily consumption. The role of dietary pattern and other living manners cannot be neglect.
Collective efforts from different stakeholders in the international community are needed to address this issue to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.

Name and organisation of the person(s) who prepared the summary

Lei Lei, Institute of Developing Economies, JETRO

Event