YPARD Sweden: Tweeting for change

On the 24th of October YPARD was invited to participate in an engaging #twitterchat hosted by Thomson Reuters Foundation and Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition. The question of the day was: As climate change threatens food supplies – and growing appetites threaten the climate – we want to find out how diets might change and if we need to make our meals and our food system “climate-smart”?

The panelists discussing this topic came from different sectors of development but all had a common goal of ensuring the planet’s and population’s well-being, especially in light of climate change. Conversing about this topic was leading global conservationists; WWF and the Rainforest Alliance, to experts on food security; BCFN, FoodTank and IFAD, investigative journalism; ProPublica, climate-induced food security; CGIAR and fighting poverty and injustice; ActionAid.

With this backdrop of outstanding actors, and a host of participants from similar fields, we were asked eight questions by the moderator Laurie Goering from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and we engaged in a multi-disciplined approach to climate change-related food security. From behind our desks, tweeting frantically with the hashtag #goodfoodmedia, a frenzy of questions, responses and answers came flooding through.

Question one

What risks does climate change present for food security? What are the most effective ways to reduce them?

(With fantastic answers all around, and without the space to write them all, here are some highlights): https://twitter.com/foodtank/status/922812403636617216 and https://twitter.com/jamesanteater/status/922812471257288704

Question two

How much could changes in diet address climate change? What would be the most effective changes? Do you think many most people would be willing to accept them? How might they be persuaded?

https://twitter.com/BarillaCFN/status/922813876625924096

https://twitter.com/Sunil_SLU/status/922818599508639744

Question three

What’s the best way to talk about this issue of the connections between food and climate change to help people understand it?

https://twitter.com/bcampbell_CGIAR/status/922815389846958081

https://twitter.com/BarillaCFN/status/922814738345709569

Question four

 Which parts of the world face the biggest food security risks as a result of climate change?

https://twitter.com/cgiarclimate/status/922816375810416640

https://twitter.com/Sustainia/status/922816480936431616

Question five

How do we feed a growing population under climate change?

https://twitter.com/FCRNetwork/status/922817882861555712

https://twitter.com/TooGoodToGo_UK/status/922817076166889472

Question six

In this era of climate change is it sufficient to focus on feeding everyone – or are nutrition levels also key?https://twitter.com/RnfrstAlliance/status/922818118409510912 and https://twitter.com/1TeresaAnderson/status/922818986076667905

Question seven

 How much could smarter agriculture and land use help cut climate-changing emissions and make people more resilient to climate change?

https://twitter.com/1TeresaAnderson/status/922821384702713857

https://twitter.com/foodtank/status/922820205792731136

Question eight 

With climate changing emissions still too high, proposals are gaining ground to suck emissions from the atmosphere by planting huge areas of the world to forest, harvesting trees and burning them for energy, with the emissions produced stored underground. Does this BECCS technology pose threats to food security and to land rights, particularly for the poor?

https://twitter.com/1TeresaAnderson/status/922824180382490625

https://twitter.com/Revkin/status/922823452985356288

The discussion opened debate amongst the participants and the hour-long session flew by! If you are interested in reading more about the discussion, please follow this link.

Picture credit: picture 1: BCFN, picture 2: FoodTank, picture 3: Rainforest Alliance