If your Climate Action Plan doesn’t include food waste, here’s why you should add it before the March 1 deadline

The author argues that food waste is a critical but often overlooked component of climate action plans, noting that food waste in the US generates 170 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The document highlights the EPA's $4.6 billion CPRG program as a key funding opportunity for governments to implement scalable waste reduction projects, citing California's Senate Bill 1383 as a model for curbing organic waste in landfills.

• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing $4.6 billion through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) to states, local governments, tribes, and territories for plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and toxic air pollution.
• Food waste is a major driver of emissions in the US; the production of food that is eventually wasted creates 170 million metric tons of CO2 emissions every year, which is comparable to the emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants.
• Landfills are the third largest source of methane emissions in the United States, exacerbated by food waste rotting in these sites.
• Global food systems are highly inefficient and environmentally taxing, with 40% of the world's food being lost or wasted while 780 million people suffer from hunger. Additionally, global agriculture uses 70% of the world's freshwater and 40% of its land, contributing to one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• California's Senate Bill 1383 serves as an example of policy-driven methane reduction by targeting the disposal of organic waste in landfills and promoting the recovery of edible food, composting, and the use of inedible food for animal feed and industry.

APA

Pearson, P. (2024). If your Climate Action Plan doesn’t include food waste, here’s why you should add it before the March 1 deadline. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/if-your-climate-action-plan-doesnt-include-food-waste-heres-why-you-should-add-it-before-the-march-1-deadline/

Chicago

Pearson, Pete. If your Climate Action Plan doesn’t include food waste, here’s why you should add it before the March 1 deadline. WWF International, 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/if-your-climate-action-plan-doesnt-include-food-waste-heres-why-you-should-add-it-before-the-march-1-deadline/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Pearson |first1=Pete |title=If your Climate Action Plan doesn’t include food waste, here’s why you should add it before the March 1 deadline |publisher=WWF International |date=12 February 2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/if-your-climate-action-plan-doesnt-include-food-waste-heres-why-you-should-add-it-before-the-march-1-deadline/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{pearson2024your, author = {Pearson, Pete}, title = {{If your Climate Action Plan doesn’t include food waste, here’s why you should add it before the March 1 deadline}}, publisher = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/if-your-climate-action-plan-doesnt-include-food-waste-heres-why-you-should-add-it-before-the-march-1-deadline/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }