education; gender equality; and zero hunger.
The top layer is the economy: decent work
and economic growth; industry, innovation,
and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; and
responsible consumption and production.
And at the pinnacle is partnership to attain
the goals. This shows how all the SDGs
are directly or indirectly connected to
sustainable and healthy food. It is a paradigm
shift to see our planet as non-negotiable,
and not as a factor that limits prosperity,
transformation, and success. It proves that
food is a prerequisite for success. If we can
succeed with food, we will succeed for all
people and also for our planet.
More specifcally, the wedding cake shows
how global food reform can afect the whole
planet. The agriculture, food, and beverage
industries are the greatest strain on natural
resources and on the health and wellbeing
of everyone on Earth. The majority of the
food we grow frst goes to feed cars, then
animals, and lastly humanity. Our food is
creating a pandemic of obesity, diabetes,
asthma, heart, and other health problems.
The fossil fuels and refrigerants we use to
produce and transport these products are
a bigger emitter of greenhouse gasses than
the oil and gas industry, and are keeping that
industry in business. The packaging for food
is causing biodiversity loss in our oceans
and contamination on land. Globally, 30%
of all food produced is wasted or thrown
away before it is consumed. If we dispose of
this waste by burying it as landfll, it comes
back to bite us as methane, which is seventy
times more powerful at trapping heat than
carbon dioxide. Even if this waste is burned
or dumped into water, the long-term
results are not much better. There is a third
component to this. The Paris Agreement and
the SDGs are not the only things that are
required to keep global warming below 1.5
degrees by 2030. An economic and fnancial
fgure was agreed as well: to invest 90
trillion USD worldwide in sustainable
developments in infrastructure,
including private and public energy,
Marc
Buckley