The attached presentation was prepared as a 'perspective' on climate change for young leaders in Australian agriculture. Adapting to climate change is already a reality for many Australian farmers, but rapid emissions reductions are also urgently needed - both on-farm and throughout food supply chains. As the cost of emissions throughout food supply chains increases, these costs will either be borne by consumers or perhaps pushed back down as price pressure on farmers. Coupled with inevitable ongoing fluctuation in oil prices (and the possibility of shocks or shortages), there may be opportunities for those who take a greater interest in how their produce gets to its final destination, with both a market premium and cost saving for low emissions food on the plate.
About the presenter
Kirsten Larsen manages policy research at the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab at the University of Melbourne. Prior to this Kirsten worked in sustainability policy for the Victorian Government for 5 years. Kirsten uses futures thinking and research in her current work on opportunities for secure and sustainable food systems. This work has included the release of Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria: What do we know? What do we need to know? in early 2008, which led to involvement in a wide range of sustainable food projects across Victoria including the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Future Food and Farming project Steering Committee and the VicHealth Healthy Eating Advisory Panel. Kirsten’s current work includes: developing the concept of Food Sensitive Urban Design; research into greenhouse emissions and vulnerabilities in food freight systems; and a Food Supply Scenarios project exploring the implications of multiple scenarios on food supply in Victoria.
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