What is it?

A group of organizations from the world of business and some NGOs have come together to explore how to feed 9 billion people enough protein in a way that is affordable, healthy and good for the environment.

Why?

Our current way of producing and eating protein is placing increasing burden on our land and sea resources. From land use to the methane released from cattle, agriculture activities contributes to environmental problems in many ways. With growing population, it is necessary to come up with sustainable ways to produce and consume protein without sacrificing the environment and the needs of future generations.

How?

The group is initiating a global conversation on sustainable protein and calling for expertise and ideas on ways to solve the challenge through improvement in six areas.

What are some of the foreseeable issues?

The first issue that comes to my mind is the long timeframe of the challenge. In order to avoid going beyond the 2C dangerous level of global warming in 2050, it requires actions today because there will be a time lag between our action and the result. It means that even if we are able to achieve sustainable protein by 2040, we will not be able to start seeing improvements in climate problems until five, six years after that.

On top of that is the issue of changing consumer behaviour. How quickly can we get the public to adopt the practice of producing and consuming sustainable protein? To effectively get the message across the globe, it requires collaboration of international governments, policy changes, education efforts, and global training. Moreover, we need to find ways to help sustainable protein compete with traditional protein and make a smooth transition without compromising on market efficiency.

Overall, I think the protein challenge has ambitious goals, but they are still at their concept stage. I look forward to seeing how the group plan to achieve these goals in an effective manner.

After so many years of relying on fossil fuels for its fast economy development, I am glad to see China finally joins the battle of combating climate change. The country has set out a five-year plan to reduce carbon emission. China is planning to shift to a sustainable development path by shifting from a manufacturing based to a service based economy, reduce coal use, and employ non-fossil energy. Although the plan is only a broad approach, it is at least a good starting point.

In order to achieve its carbon emission reduction goals, the top government in China should first ensure its vision is shared by all levels of government. There should be a policy alignment across all governments, as well as specific metrics to measure the progress. Secondly, the governments should seek out effective ways to deliver the message to the general public because a real change can only be made by uniting the effort of its citizens. Lastly, the Chinese government should subsidize the use and development of renewable energy to help green start-ups secure the market. This should be done alongside with imposing an environmental cost on major polluters in the local economy.

To approach the environmental problems from the front-end, China needs to build the topic of sustainability into its education curriculum. It is very important to plant that “green” seed in the minds of younger generations because soon they will become the biggest consumers and suppliers of the global market. Only if they have a green mindset and are equipped with the knowledge of sustainability will they be able to design products and processes that are truly sustainable from the beginning. Furthermore, they have a chance to influence how their parents think and behave, as well as inspiring future generations. In all, education can help create a positive feedback loop in carrying out sustainable practices and end polluting behaviours for China.

Article Reference: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/chinas-unveils-plan-low-carbon-growth