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Beyond the IPCC for Food: An Overarching Framework for Food Systems Sustainability Assessment

Author

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  • Dario Caro

    (Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark)

  • Fabio Sporchia

    (Ecodynamics Group, Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Piazzetta Enzo Tiezzi 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
    Department of Science, Technology and Society, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Piazza della Vittoria 15, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Marta Antonelli

    (Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services (IAFES), Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), via Igino Garbini 51, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
    Global Footprint Network, Route de Jeunes, 9, 1227 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Alessandro Galli

    (Global Footprint Network, Route de Jeunes, 9, 1227 Geneva, Switzerland)

Abstract

Food systems are responsible for a large share of anthropogenic impacts. In recent debates, the need to strengthen the link between science and policy has emerged with the proposal to establish a new global science–policy interface for a sustainable food system. While the clash between those who consider necessary and those who do not consider necessary the creation of this panel increases, this paper takes inspiration from this debate to highlight how strengthening the interactions between science and policy should be supported by increasing the informativeness of current sustainability assessments, regardless of the need for such a panel. In particular, we delve into this emerging topic by focusing on some critical aspects of the current sustainability assessments of food systems, which include the need for more comprehensive assessments, based on the joint use of multiple indicators. While sustainability assessments of food systems have been historically focusing on just one–two externalities at a time, the introduction of new multi-faceted indicators make it now possible to look at multiple externalities concurrently and at the trade-offs among them. Dietary contextualization becomes essential too, to avoid the provision of misleading information. An operative framework to improve sustainability assessments of food systems is presented here and discussed with the aim of promoting more informative approaches, which are crucial for transforming scientific knowledge into mitigation policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Dario Caro & Fabio Sporchia & Marta Antonelli & Alessandro Galli, 2023. "Beyond the IPCC for Food: An Overarching Framework for Food Systems Sustainability Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-10, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:19:p:14107-:d:1246184
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Tilman & Michael Clark, 2014. "Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health," Nature, Nature, vol. 515(7528), pages 518-522, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dalal Aassouli & Ayodele Akande & Ray Jureidini, 2023. "Comparative Analysis of Sustainable Food Governance and the Alignment of Food Security Policies to Sustainable Development: A Case Study of OIC Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-27, November.

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