Invested In Climate

Food Tank's Danielle Nierenberg on systems change for climate, Ep #36

Jan 24, 2023

39:33

Are you ready to uncover the truth about our food systems and its impact on our planet? Last week, we delved into the topic of soil and regenerative agriculture, and this week, we're taking a closer look at the larger picture of food and its role in climate change. As it turns out, food is not only something we interact with every day, but it's also a complex web of industries, processes, and relationships that account for a staggering one-third of greenhouse gas emissions.

Our special guest, Danielle Nierenberg, is a leading expert and advocate in the field of sustainable food systems. She's the President of Food Tank, a non-profit organization working to improve the global food system. Together, we'll be discussing groundbreaking strategies to combat food waste, promote regenerative agriculture, and rethink the future of meat production. Join us for a fascinating conversation with a seasoned expert in the field as we explore the most pressing issues facing the food industry today and the opportunities for change in the coming year.

In today’s episode, we cover:

[3:00] Food Tank’s origin story
[5:32] Danielle’s background & path of environmentalism
[7:45] The role that Food Tank is playing today
[8:56] Ways that people can get involved in Food Tank
[10:30] What is the food system
[11:53] How is the food system (as it's currently designed) exacerbating climate change
[13:24] Opportunities & priorities for reversing climate change through food
[16:20] Momentum & trends in the regenerative agriculture movement
[19:10] Best practices that we need for the future - balancing big corporations & small-scale farmers
[21:13] How do we break our dependency from synthetic fertilizer
[22:45] Signs of progress in reducing synthetic fertilizer dependency & cutting food waste
[26:59] Meat consumption, lab-cultivated meat & preferences
[30:53] Danielle’s thoughts on alternative protein for investors
[32:45] The biggest levers for food systems impact
[33:46] Impressions from the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference & next steps in the global policy arena
[36:02] Danielle’s top priorities for 2023
[37:59] Podcast spotlight - Food Talk with Danielle Nierenberg