[News] from [guardian.co.uk]
[Environment > Ethical and green living]
Britain must grow more sustainable food, says Benn
Proposals for national food strategy calls for UK farming 'revolution' in response to climate change and food security
John Vidal and James Meikle
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 January 2010 09.43 GMT Article history
Britain must grow more food, while using less water and reducing emission of greenhouse gases, to respond to the challenge of climate change and growing world populations, the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, said yesterday.
"Food security is as important to this country's future wellbeing, and the world's, as energy security. We need to produce more food. We need to do it sustainably. And we need to make sure what we eat safeguards our health," he said.
Launching the government's food strategy for the next 20 years with a speech to the Oxford Farming Conference, he proposed a consumer-led, technological revolution to transform UK farming.
"We know that the consequences of the way we produce and consume our food are unsustainable to our planet and to ourselves," he said. "We know we are at one of those moments in our history where the future of our economy, our environment, and our society will be shaped by the choices we make now."
He said consumers, rather than retailers, should lead by buying "greener" food, wasting less and growing more of their own: "People power can help bring about a revolution in the way food is produced and sold."
Food businesses, supermarkets and manufacturerswould follow consumer demand for food that was local, healthy and had a smaller environmental footprint – just as consumers had pushed the rapid expansion of Fairtrade products and free range eggs in the last decade, Benn said.
The government aims to develop a "meanwhile" lease for landowners and voluntary groups wishing to set up temporary allotments on land awaiting development. One in three people in the UK grows fruit and vegetables, according to a survey commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Ministers believe the move could foster community spirit and skills as well as physical and mental health. The cross-departmental strategy report, Food 2030, also supports farmers' markets to raise consumption of local produce.
But by comparison with the government's own adviser, the Sustainable Development Commission, the report is cautious about changing agriculture, by, for example, reducing the reliance on intensive meat and dairy production.
It acknowledges livestock production is a big contributor to greenhouse emissions but says there is no clear evidence on the carbon footprint of such foods which consumers can use to change their diet. "Not all types of meat have the same impacts, neither do all systems of production," it states; livestock farming could be the only economically productive activity possible in some hilly areas.
Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association said: "Consumers are feeling increasingly confused by the proliferation of diet-related advice doled out by government departments. While it is right we need to eat less meat overall to achieve sustainable food production, red meat, as long as it is from grass-fed livestock, has a critical role to play in minimising carbon emissions. This is because grasslands for grazing represent vitally important carbon stores."
Benn promised £50m for research over the next five years. Much will go to find ways to reduce carbon emissions from soils and rotting waste food, as well as finding ways to grow food with less fertiliser, pesticides and fuel. He did not mention GM foods, even though the government is known to be in favour of making it easier for farmers to grow such crops.
The campaign group Sustain said the report avoided tough issues, such as reducing children's consumption of junk food: "The government's food vision is hardly worthy of the name. The document proposes a series of minor tweaks to our fundamentally unsustainable food system."
Nick Herbert, the shadow environment secretary, told the conference he welcomed "belated" recognition of the importance of increasing food production in Britain. He proposed an ombudsman to rule on disputes between supermarkets and their suppliers. Farmers complain that chains, which control up to 80% of the grocery market, abuse their power.
Ports of call
A review of Britain's ports is to tackle government fears that our vast food imports are too concentrated in a few ports, risking disruption. Although 93% of imported food and drink arrives by sea through nearly 50 ports, much of it comes through just six: London, Dover, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Grimsby and Immingham. Ports are "potentially vulnerable" to storm damage and coastal surges, says the Food 2030 report, and switching in emergencies may not possible if the alternatives do not have the equipment or depth to handle large ships, or are too specialist. Tilbury handles most of our sugar, Liverpool almost all soya, Portsmouth 33% of bananas, and Southampton is the sole port for fresh produce from the Canary Islands.
James Meikle
[Environment > Copenhagen climate change conference 2009]
Speculation over change in role for Chinese climate negotiator
Media outlets in Hong Kong suggest He Yafei has been punished for failing to smooth relations at Copenhagen between China, the US and Europe
Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 January 2010 17.44 GMT Article history
A senior member of the Chinese negotiating team at Copenhagen has been shifted from his post, prompting speculation that he has been punished for the debacle of the climate talks.
He Yafei, who was at the forefront of China's blocking actions on the final fraught day of the summit, has been removed as vice foreign minister, according to a short summary of government appointments by the Xinhua news agency.
The agency gave no explanation, but the Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao suggests He has been punished with a shift to a post at the United Nations for failing to smooth relations between China, the US and Europe, particularly as tempers flared in the last hours of the talks.
During the negotiations, He described his US counterpart as "lacking common sense", frustrated the US president, Barack Obama, at his inability to make decisions and astonished the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, by refusing to allow even rich countries to set a target to cut emissions by 2050.
In public, China has hailed the "significant and positive" outcome of the Copenhagen accord, which committed the world to keeping global warming below 2C.
Privately, however, officials are furious at the public relations disaster of the summit, which ended with Europe blaming China for sinking long-term goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Part of the problem was the vastly different expectations of the delegations. Britain and other European nations intended to bang heads together to achieve progress and to set ambitious targets during the two-week conference.
China, however, was desperate to avoid any goals that might limit its economic expansion. Having announced its first carbon target shortly before the conference, China's negotiators hoped the event would be a chance for the world to applaud the progress the country has made to improve efficiency and boost renewable energy.
The vastly different approaches led to several messy and fractious encounters, at which He Yafei was usually the fall guy.
Although the premier, Wen Jiabao, was the most senior figure in the Chinese delegation, he refused to attend most of the negotiating sessions with other leaders. This was a defensive move rather than a snub. The premier did not want to be strongarmed into a deal he could not guarantee at home.
In his place, he dispatched He, an experienced multilateral negotiator who previously served in senior posts at the United Nations and arms control talks, as well as running the North American department of the foreign ministry.
But He lacked the authority to make decisions. In huddles with world leaders, who far outranked him, all he could do was block. President Obama is said to have declared in exasperation: "It would be nice to negotiate with somebody who can make political decisions."
When he rejected a European proposal that developed nations reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, Angela Merkel described the situation as ridiculous.
The vice-minister also failed to endear himself to the chief US negotiator, Todd Stern, who suffered his undiplomatic wrath after stating that the US was not in historical debt to China because of climate change.
"I don't want to say the gentleman is ignorant," He said. "I think he lacks common sense or is extremely irresponsible."
In the angry aftermath of the conference, senior European diplomats accused China of "systematically wrecking the accord" with leaks and obstructionist tactics.
[Environment > Ethical and green living]
Britain must grow more sustainable food, says Benn
Proposals for national food strategy calls for UK farming 'revolution' in response to climate change and food security
John Vidal and James Meikle
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 January 2010 09.43 GMT Article history
Britain must grow more food, while using less water and reducing emission of greenhouse gases, to respond to the challenge of climate change and growing world populations, the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, said yesterday.
"Food security is as important to this country's future wellbeing, and the world's, as energy security. We need to produce more food. We need to do it sustainably. And we need to make sure what we eat safeguards our health," he said.
Launching the government's food strategy for the next 20 years with a speech to the Oxford Farming Conference, he proposed a consumer-led, technological revolution to transform UK farming.
"We know that the consequences of the way we produce and consume our food are unsustainable to our planet and to ourselves," he said. "We know we are at one of those moments in our history where the future of our economy, our environment, and our society will be shaped by the choices we make now."
He said consumers, rather than retailers, should lead by buying "greener" food, wasting less and growing more of their own: "People power can help bring about a revolution in the way food is produced and sold."
Food businesses, supermarkets and manufacturerswould follow consumer demand for food that was local, healthy and had a smaller environmental footprint – just as consumers had pushed the rapid expansion of Fairtrade products and free range eggs in the last decade, Benn said.
The government aims to develop a "meanwhile" lease for landowners and voluntary groups wishing to set up temporary allotments on land awaiting development. One in three people in the UK grows fruit and vegetables, according to a survey commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Ministers believe the move could foster community spirit and skills as well as physical and mental health. The cross-departmental strategy report, Food 2030, also supports farmers' markets to raise consumption of local produce.
But by comparison with the government's own adviser, the Sustainable Development Commission, the report is cautious about changing agriculture, by, for example, reducing the reliance on intensive meat and dairy production.
It acknowledges livestock production is a big contributor to greenhouse emissions but says there is no clear evidence on the carbon footprint of such foods which consumers can use to change their diet. "Not all types of meat have the same impacts, neither do all systems of production," it states; livestock farming could be the only economically productive activity possible in some hilly areas.
Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association said: "Consumers are feeling increasingly confused by the proliferation of diet-related advice doled out by government departments. While it is right we need to eat less meat overall to achieve sustainable food production, red meat, as long as it is from grass-fed livestock, has a critical role to play in minimising carbon emissions. This is because grasslands for grazing represent vitally important carbon stores."
Benn promised £50m for research over the next five years. Much will go to find ways to reduce carbon emissions from soils and rotting waste food, as well as finding ways to grow food with less fertiliser, pesticides and fuel. He did not mention GM foods, even though the government is known to be in favour of making it easier for farmers to grow such crops.
The campaign group Sustain said the report avoided tough issues, such as reducing children's consumption of junk food: "The government's food vision is hardly worthy of the name. The document proposes a series of minor tweaks to our fundamentally unsustainable food system."
Nick Herbert, the shadow environment secretary, told the conference he welcomed "belated" recognition of the importance of increasing food production in Britain. He proposed an ombudsman to rule on disputes between supermarkets and their suppliers. Farmers complain that chains, which control up to 80% of the grocery market, abuse their power.
Ports of call
A review of Britain's ports is to tackle government fears that our vast food imports are too concentrated in a few ports, risking disruption. Although 93% of imported food and drink arrives by sea through nearly 50 ports, much of it comes through just six: London, Dover, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Grimsby and Immingham. Ports are "potentially vulnerable" to storm damage and coastal surges, says the Food 2030 report, and switching in emergencies may not possible if the alternatives do not have the equipment or depth to handle large ships, or are too specialist. Tilbury handles most of our sugar, Liverpool almost all soya, Portsmouth 33% of bananas, and Southampton is the sole port for fresh produce from the Canary Islands.
James Meikle
[Environment > Copenhagen climate change conference 2009]
Speculation over change in role for Chinese climate negotiator
Media outlets in Hong Kong suggest He Yafei has been punished for failing to smooth relations at Copenhagen between China, the US and Europe
Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 January 2010 17.44 GMT Article history
A senior member of the Chinese negotiating team at Copenhagen has been shifted from his post, prompting speculation that he has been punished for the debacle of the climate talks.
He Yafei, who was at the forefront of China's blocking actions on the final fraught day of the summit, has been removed as vice foreign minister, according to a short summary of government appointments by the Xinhua news agency.
The agency gave no explanation, but the Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao suggests He has been punished with a shift to a post at the United Nations for failing to smooth relations between China, the US and Europe, particularly as tempers flared in the last hours of the talks.
During the negotiations, He described his US counterpart as "lacking common sense", frustrated the US president, Barack Obama, at his inability to make decisions and astonished the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, by refusing to allow even rich countries to set a target to cut emissions by 2050.
In public, China has hailed the "significant and positive" outcome of the Copenhagen accord, which committed the world to keeping global warming below 2C.
Privately, however, officials are furious at the public relations disaster of the summit, which ended with Europe blaming China for sinking long-term goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Part of the problem was the vastly different expectations of the delegations. Britain and other European nations intended to bang heads together to achieve progress and to set ambitious targets during the two-week conference.
China, however, was desperate to avoid any goals that might limit its economic expansion. Having announced its first carbon target shortly before the conference, China's negotiators hoped the event would be a chance for the world to applaud the progress the country has made to improve efficiency and boost renewable energy.
The vastly different approaches led to several messy and fractious encounters, at which He Yafei was usually the fall guy.
Although the premier, Wen Jiabao, was the most senior figure in the Chinese delegation, he refused to attend most of the negotiating sessions with other leaders. This was a defensive move rather than a snub. The premier did not want to be strongarmed into a deal he could not guarantee at home.
In his place, he dispatched He, an experienced multilateral negotiator who previously served in senior posts at the United Nations and arms control talks, as well as running the North American department of the foreign ministry.
But He lacked the authority to make decisions. In huddles with world leaders, who far outranked him, all he could do was block. President Obama is said to have declared in exasperation: "It would be nice to negotiate with somebody who can make political decisions."
When he rejected a European proposal that developed nations reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, Angela Merkel described the situation as ridiculous.
The vice-minister also failed to endear himself to the chief US negotiator, Todd Stern, who suffered his undiplomatic wrath after stating that the US was not in historical debt to China because of climate change.
"I don't want to say the gentleman is ignorant," He said. "I think he lacks common sense or is extremely irresponsible."
In the angry aftermath of the conference, senior European diplomats accused China of "systematically wrecking the accord" with leaks and obstructionist tactics.
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