Food waste emits around 10 per cent of all greenhouse emissions. If it was a country, it would be the third biggest polluter after the US and China. But it’s not being addressed at COP26 in Glasgow.
Photographer Rankin is renowned for his pictures of the great and good including the Queen and Kate Moss. In collaboration with Zero Waste Scotland he’s shot alarming images of food destined for landfill, displayed along a trail from Sauchiehall Street to Bell Street, in his home city of Glasgow.
In video
- Rankin explains the intense pollution caused by food waste
In a film about the project he says, “I had no idea food waste is a bigger contributor to climate change than plastic.
“It’s feeding an epidemic that’s killing our planet. It’s time we viewed food waste through the same, if not a more dangerous lens, than single-use plastics. The solution is simple – just reduce the amount of food you throw away.
“Food waste reduction is the quickest win we have for tackling climate emergencies”
“One kilogram of food waste, like a bag of sugar, causes the equivalent carbon emissions of 25,000 plastic bottles.”
Nourish Scotland created its Food and Climate Hub near the COP26 campus as result of food being ignored in the main Presidency Programme. Over the two weeks it will host events by partners including WWF, Food Foundation, Soil Association and many more.
Together with food charity FareShare, which is supported by England footballer Marcus Rashford, it will be serving up ice creams to delegates from food that would otherwise be wasted.
They will be delivered from a specially adapted cargo bike, on Tuesday 12th November, as part of a waste-free lunch at Recipes for Resilience.
Pete Ritchie, Director of Nourish Scotland said, “A fair food system would be one that adequately nourishes everyone, restores and enhances biodiversity, combats the climate emergency, and provides good jobs for all.
“France redistributes four times more of its surplus food than the UK”
“Food waste reduction is the quickest win we have for tackling the climate and nature emergencies.
“Recipes for Resilience will showcase a better food future – that we all deserve.”
James Persad, FareShare’s COP26 spokesperson said, “In the UK alone more than 2 million tonnes of nutritious food is wasted every year across the food industry – much of it at farm level.
“COP26 should provide a catalyst for global efforts to tackle food waste – and the UK should be leading the way. France redistributes at least four times more of its surplus food than the UK.”
The ice cream is made by Glasgow artisan Peacock’s Ice Cream, using surplus produce supplied by Brakes.
The Nourish Scotland Food and Climate Hub is at the Salvation Army, 1 Houldsworth Street Glasgow G3 8ED, 15 minutes walk from the main COP campus.
