How Can Our Food Systems Help Us Adapt to Climate Change?
Extreme heat, crop failures, disrupted supply chains, and rising food prices are becoming part of our daily reality. As climate change accelerates, our food systems—already responsible for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions—are under growing pressure to adapt and transform.
With COP30 taking place this month in Belém, Brazil, agriculture and food systems are receiving more attention than ever before. This shift is long overdue: without resilient, low‑carbon food production, global climate goals will remain out of reach.
In this blog, I reflect on key discussions emerging from COP30 around sustainable agriculture and food security—and how alternative proteins, including edible insects, can contribute to climate‑resilient food systems.
What is COP30 saying about food, farming, and climate?
At COP30, world leaders, scientists, and communities are emphasizing a central message: we cannot tackle climate change without transforming how we produce and consume food.
Several announcements highlight this momentum, for example:
- Supporting climate‑resilient agriculture
New partnerships across Africa, Latin America, and Asia aim to help smallholder farmers adapt to extreme weather, improve water access, and build more resilient production systems. These efforts target the communities most affected by climate impacts.
More information: FAO’s overview of agriculture at COP30 (https://www.fao.org/climate-change/fao-at-cop30/en).
- Reducing emissions from food production
Initiatives such as the LEAF programme—promoting low‑emission fertilisers and cleaner agricultural processes—reflect a growing understanding that fertiliser use, land conversion, and livestock emissions must decline rapidly.
Initiative summary: Hydrogen Council (https://hydrogencouncil.com)
- Making food systems central to climate policy
For the first time, food systems are a cross‑cutting theme in negotiations, linking adaptation, mitigation, biodiversity, and finance. This represents a major shift from treating agriculture as a peripheral issue.
Analysis: CGIAR at COP30 (https://www.cgiar.org)
Together, these developments signal that the global community increasingly recognises food systems as a fundamental part of climate action.
Where do alternative proteins fit in?
As climate impacts intensify, diversifying protein sources is becoming essential. Relying heavily on a few resource‑intensive foods (such as conventional livestock) puts enormous pressure on land, water, and biodiversity.
Alternative proteins offer promising pathways toward sustainable and resilient food systems. These include:
- Plant‑based proteins (legumes, pulses, oilseeds)
- Fermentation‑based proteins (mycoprotein, precision fermentation)
- Edible insects
- Algae and aquatic biomass
Many of these sources share common advantages:
- Lower environmental footprint
Alternative proteins generally require far fewer natural resources and can reduce emissions, especially when integrated into circular or regenerative systems.
- Strong nutritional profiles
Many provide high‑quality protein, fibre, healthy fats, minerals, and bioactive compounds, supporting health and improving resilience in regions vulnerable to climate‑related food shortages.
- Flexible production
Production can occur in urban areas, controlled environments, or marginal lands, making these proteins adaptable to a variety of geographic and climatic contexts.
These qualities make alternative proteins an important area of innovation as countries look to strengthen their food systems.
Edible insects: a climate‑smart option within alternative proteins
My research, carried out at the School of Food Science & Nutrition under the leadership of Dr. Alan Javier Hernández-Álvarez, focuses on edible insects as sustainable food ingredients. Beyond their cultural relevance in many regions, insects offer several climate‑aligned advantages:
- Exceptionally efficient feed conversion
- Very low greenhouse gas emissions
- Minimal land and water requirements
- High nutritional density
- Potential to be raised on safe agricultural by‑products
Insects represent one example of how expanding our protein landscape can support climate goals while respecting local food traditions.
Looking ahead: what should come after COP30?
The outcomes emerging from COP30 show promise, but meaningful progress will depend on implementation. To build food systems that nourish both people and the planet, we need:
- Investment in climate‑smart innovations, including alternative proteins
- Policies that reward sustainability rather than only yield
- Strong support for smallholder farmers and local communities
- Public engagement to foster acceptance and accessibility of new foods
I hope that as the outcomes of COP30 unfold, we will see food and agriculture integrated into climate policies in more concrete ways. The future of food will depend on creativity, collaboration and a willingness to adopt solutions that may be new—but are urgently needed.