UNFCCC's recipe for change
Earlene Cruz is on a mission to make people hungry for climate action every time they sit down to eat.
Cruz is the Founder and Executive Director of Kitchen Connection Alliance, an entity that seeks to improve systems for growing and distributing food worldwide. She was at COP27 last November to launch the Cookbook in Support of the United Nations, an event facilitated by UN Climate Change.
Cruz describes it as a “non-prescriptive guide to inspire people to eat and cook what is available, feasible, and sustainable in their local contexts.”
The cookbook is a collaboration between the United Nations and Kitchen Connection Alliance, with proceeds supporting a children’s version of the book, the UN Bookstore and projects with Indigenous communities.
The way we produce, eat and waste food is one of the largest drivers of climate change globally, with food production responsible for a whopping one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the primary driver of biodiversity loss, with agriculture alone threatening 86% of species at risk of extinction.
At the same time, the world’s agriculture sector is increasingly vulnerable to climate change. The impacts of climate change on food security is growing worldwide and more prominently in developing countries: rising temperatures, heat waves, droughts and floods, changes in rainfall patterns and extreme events affect agriculture more than any other sector.
The appetite for transformation is huge. According to the Food and Land Use Coalition, creating healthier, more resilient and more equitable food systems could generate USD 4.5 trillion annually in new economic opportunities by 2030.
The cookbook features 75 sustainable recipes from chefs, farmers and indigenous communities around the world.
Learn more about the cookbook and sustainable food at the COPs.