Food systems, especially meat, fish and feed, haven't gotten the attention they should in climate COPs, despite huge GHG emissions. The panel will present perspectives from health, culture & science and bold policy & financing recommendations to forestall further catastrophic emissions and omissions.

Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Nwstj3Iec&list=PLBcZ22cUY9RL4TEKTBfoLupiqS5n7Kr6c&index=183

Moderation: Mia MacDonald, Brighter Green

Mia MacDonald is the Executive Director and founder of Brighter Green (www.brightergreen.org), a New York-based public policy action tank that works to raise awareness and encourage dialogue on and policy attention to issues that span the environment, animals, and sustainable development globally. Its works has a particular focus on equity and rights and countries of the global South. She directs strategy, programs and collaborative projects at Brighter Green, which has been a leader in focusing attention on the crucial intersections among food systems, climate change, biodiversity loss, animal welfare, and equity and sustainability.

Under Mia’s leadership, Brighter Green’s research and policy recommendations have been used, cited, taught, and applied in policy venues (global, regional, national, and local), international networks, start-up projects, and university classrooms and curricula in a number of countries. In 2020, a consortium led by Brighter Green’s partner organization in China, the Good Food Fund, was named one of ten finalists for the inaugural Rockefeller Foundation food vision prize. Brighter Green co-founded the Food and Climate Alliance, the first of its kind cross-disciplinary global network working to accelerate sustainable consumption and plant-forward diets as critical food systems solutions.

Speakers:

• Sabrina Ahmed, The Vegan Society

Sabrina works with the Campaigns & Policy team at The Vegan Society, leading on multiple rights-based campaigns to drive forward greater access to sustainable food. With a background in social science and social policy, Sabrina focuses on pushing policy levers to support individual behaviour change, with greater government intervention, to support her passion for just transition in food production.

• Barry Gardiner, UK MP for Brent North

Barry served as Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and Shadow Minister for International Climate Change from 2016 to 2020 after being first elected to parliament in 1997. Today people in Brent North know Barry as one of our most effective politicians. He gets things done locally and pioneers changes to our laws in the House of Commons. But very few people know the story behind this caring campaigner: his life in one of Scotland’s worst slums, his time as an academic or his experience running his own successful business in the City of London.

• Carina Millstone, Feedback

Carina Millstone is the executive director of Feedback, an environmental organization that campaigns to end food waste at every level of the food system, and the founder of a campaign to divest from industrialised livestock. She is the author of "Frugal Value" (2017), a book that examines the role and limits of business in driving the changes needed to build a sustainable and just world.

• Dr. Nick Palmer, Compassion in World Farming

Nick is currently Head of Compassion in World Farming UK, reflecting a lifelong interest in animal welfare. He was previously Director of Policy for Cruelty Free International, and vice-chair of the All-Party Animal Welfare Group during his 13 years as Labour MP for Broxtowe.

Before his election to Parliament he acquired a PhD in mathematics and worked for 16 years in IT management in industry. He speaks six languages and has three published books on leisure games.

• Christina Teunissen, Dutch Party for the Animals

Christine Teunissen studied history in Leiden, Netherlands. During her studies she conducted research into various social movements that compete against the established order. She was the leader of the Dutch Party for the Animals in the municipality of The Hague and one of the youngest senators in Dutch history.

Currently, Teunissen is a Member of Dutch parliament, where she is responsible for the topics Climate Change, Economy and economic system change, Biodiversity, Free Trade Agreements, Development Cooperation, Foreign Affairs, European Union, Social Affairs (health) and Employment, Education and Culture.

Teunissen is a young influential politician, bringing grassroots activism for the planet, animals and nature to the highest level of politics.

• Juliette Tronchon, ProVeg International

Originally from France, Juliette graduated with a French-German Degree in Policy and Sustainability from Sciences Po Lille and WWU Münster. She started a few months ago as Policy and Public Affairs Specialist at ProVeg International after working within the plant-based movement for more than two years already. She is also engaged with the FoodatCOP campaign under YOUNGO. In Berlin, she is leading a local branch of Sciences Po au Féminin, a network designed to empower female graduates and students from these universities.

• Lana Weidgenant, Zero Hour

Lana Weidgenant is a youth climate activist specializing in the role of food systems in the climate crisis. She was the UN Food Systems Summit Vice-Chair of Shifting to Sustainable Consumption Patterns this last year and is a Deputy Director of Zero Hour, an international youth organisation for climate justice. Lana is also a Real Food Systems Youth Ambassador, youth leader in the Act4Food Act4Change campaign, and the Co-Founder of the FoodatCOP campaign of YOUNGO, the youth constituency of UN Climate Change. Lana is originally from Brazil and recently graduated with a Bachelors in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

• Ashley Yong, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation

Ashley currently serves as a representative of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation at the United Nations, and a social science research assistant and project coordinator of Tzu Chi’s community development project in the Republic of Sierra Leone. She is also part of the Youth Steering Committee of the United Nations Department of Global Communications Civil Society Unit. She is also a youth advocate of the Youth Voices for Climate Action, a Panda Ambassador of WWF, an Ambassador of TeachSDGs, and a Mover of the Movers Programme. She is currently pursuing her Master studies in Sustainable Development Management at Sunway University, Malaysia. An advocate for climate action and environmental protection, she works with other young people to build community with responsible and sustainable lifestyle.