The Food Systems NDC Scorecard

Tracking progress and guiding ambitious climate action through our food systems.
See Our Methodology

Improving food systems will be critical to achieving climate goals.

From a mitigation perspective, food systems account for a third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and even if fossil fuel emissions stopped today, food emissions alone would raise global temperatures above 1.5°C and make even the 2°C goal difficult to achieve. Aligning food systems with a pathway to meeting these targets will require action at all stages of the food system.
Food systems action is also critical for achieving adaptation needs, including ensuring food security under climate change and increasing the adaptive capacity for human health, biodiversity, ecosystems, and water, among other vital concerns.

Nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement are critical to effective climate action—driving national action, setting international norms, and enabling access to means of implementation. Prior to the incoming round of NDCs (“NDCs 3.0”), the majority of Parties had included some food systems policies in their NDCs, typically in relation to production. However, the food systems policies in the upcoming round of NDCs must be more ambitious, comprehensive, and higher quality (considering benefits and risks) to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and implement other commitments.

The Food Systems NDC Scorecard assesses the integration of food systems in NDCs. This provides a measure of how well countries are meeting the needs of the moment, identifying areas needing further attention, and showcasing leading examples to inspire improved action in the future.

See the methodology paper for more details.

Core Partners:

  • Mercy For Animals
  • Center for Biological Diversity
  • Global Law Alliance For Animals And The Environment Lewis & Clark Law School
  • Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
  • EAT

Technical consultants:

  • Stockholm Environment Institute