Summary
This multi-author modelling study, published in One Earth in 2025, evaluates the scale of food system transformation needed to align global agriculture and consumption with planetary boundaries. Using integrated assessment modelling, the authors explore how combinations of dietary shifts, production efficiency gains, and technological innovation might mitigate risks of exceeding critical environmental thresholds. The findings suggest that incremental changes alone are insufficient; ambitious simultaneous interventions across production, consumption, and land use are required.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK food policy and net-zero strategy, particularly regarding dietary guidelines, agricultural innovation targets, and import-dependency considerations. However, application requires localisation to UK-specific constraints (climate, land availability, supply chain structure) and consideration of international trade implications.
Key measures
Environmental limits for climate, freshwater, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, land-use change; food system outcomes across dietary scenarios and production innovations
Outcomes reported
The study modelled ambitious food system interventions required to keep production within planetary boundaries across multiple environmental domains (climate, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, land use). It assessed the feasibility and trade-offs of different dietary and production pathway scenarios.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.