The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) has criticised the COP30 climate summit for ending without concrete commitments on global food systems, despite the sector accounting for nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and being valued at more than $8 trillion.
According to a statement by IPES, expectations that the Belém summit would confront agriculture’s climate footprint fell short, as the final agreement made only a narrow reference to “climate-resilient food production” under the Global Goal on Adaptation, with no mention of food systems, industrial agriculture, commodity-driven deforestation, or fossil-fuel dependence.
IPES-Food warned that the omission threatens climate targets, food security, and global commodity markets, noting that industrial agriculture consumes 40% of petrochemicals and 15% of fossil fuels worldwide.
The organisation also cautioned that weakened language on deforestation could embolden commodity traders in soy, beef, and palm oil markets, while the lack of a roadmap for agricultural emissions may slow emerging climate-finance opportunities.
More than 300 agribusiness lobbyists were present at the summit, underscoring the sector’s influence on negotiations, the statement added.
The outcome stood in contrast to the Amazonian backdrop of COP30, where 30% of all food served was sourced from agroecological and traditional producers.
Raj Patel, an IPES-Food panel expert, said food systems had been “erased” from the negotiations, describing the process as “capture” by industrial agriculture interests.
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Elisabetta Recine, president of Brazil’s National Food and Nutrition Security Council, lamented that practical solutions showcased in Belém were ignored in the final text.
IPES-Food said global climate and development goals would remain out of reach unless countries commit to phasing out fossil fuels in food production, addressing commodity-driven deforestation, and scaling up investment in agroecology and food sovereignty.
