Summary
This collaborative modelling study synthesises evidence on the scale of food system change required to maintain global food production within Earth's environmental limits across climate, freshwater, nutrient cycling, and land-use boundaries. Drawing on multiple integrated assessment models and scenario analyses, the authors examine the feasibility of various dietary shifts and agricultural intensification pathways, highlighting trade-offs between environmental outcomes and nutritional adequacy. The findings, as suggested by the title, indicate that substantially more ambitious interventions than currently implemented policy will be necessary to avoid transgressing multiple planetary boundaries simultaneously.
UK applicability
UK food policy and agricultural strategy (particularly the Food Security Report and net-zero commitments) would benefit from these modelled scenarios, particularly regarding the tension between domestic production intensification and dietary change. The study's multi-boundary framework directly applies to UK efforts to align food production with climate targets whilst maintaining import resilience.
Key measures
Environmental footprints (greenhouse gas emissions, water use, nutrient cycling, land use); dietary adequacy; food security metrics; scenario feasibility across environmental planetary boundaries
Outcomes reported
The study models ambitious food system interventions required to keep global food production within planetary boundaries across multiple environmental dimensions (climate, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, land use). It assesses the feasibility and trade-offs of different dietary and agricultural transformation scenarios.
Topic tags
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