The Science is Clear: Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems
AGORA Macdonald Campus Speaker Series presents Dr. Brent Loken, Director of Science Translation at EAT
Global food production is the single largest human pressure on Earth, threatening local ecosystems, driving a sixth mass extinction of species, and impacting the stability of the entire Earth system. Feeding and producing food for our current population of 7.6 billion people accounts for approximately 23% of annual GHG emissions. While global food production of calories has kept pace with population growth, nearly 820 million people lack sufficient food and many more consume an unhealthy diet that contributes to premature death and morbidity. Dr. Loken will discuss how food is the final battleground in our fight against climate change and other health and environmental issues and ignoring its importance threatens our ability to achieve the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Brent Loken is the Director of Science Translation at EAT and was one of the lead authors on the EAT-Lancet report. His current work focuses on translating the global scientific targets of the EAT-Lancet report into actionable targets. This includes working with businesses, cities, and nations to set science-based targets for the food system, something which to date has not been done. For the upcoming UN Climate Action Summit in New York City, Brent is authoring two important reports; one that will assess the national dietary guidelines of G20 countries and their potential for mitigating GHG emissions, and a second that will provide specific solutions for reducing emissions from food, land-use, and food production. In the past, Brent has been involved in building schools, saving rainforests, protecting endangered species, and working with indigenous peoples. Rarely patient, he believes to achieve the SDGs and Paris Agreement in the short time that is available, it will be because of fast moving and innovative organizations and people that disrupt the status quo and actively show the world a better way.