With COP30 fast approaching in Brazil, governments and businesses must recognise that food systems belong at the top of the agenda. Production, processing, transport and waste across the food chain already account for nearly 30% of global emissions. And even if fossil fuels were phased out tomorrow, the way we grow, trade and consume food would still push the planet beyond the 1.5 degrees Celsius Paris target. This is not only an environmental crisis – it is an economic and social challenge that directly affects markets, supply chains and human wellbeing.

By Oliver Balch

Climate change is a “con job” and green energy is a “scam”. This was the message the United States president brought to New York during the city’s annual Climate Week.

Earlier this year, the first wave of corporate reports under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) quietly revealed a troubling trend. Fewer than 40% of companies identified nature-related issues – such as pollution, water scarcity and biodiversity loss – as material to their business. This isn’t just a bureaucratic oversight. It is a systemic risk hiding in plain sight.

The world is beset with conflict. Last year saw the highest number of countries engaged in armed conflicts since World War Two, according to the Peace Research Institute of Oslo. The list includes the full-scale wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as dozens of conflicts in Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and other hotspots.