Positive Tipping Points for Food and Land Use Systems Transformation

Transforming global food and land use systems is central to tackling the most urgent challenges of our time, from the climate and ecological crisis to food security for a growing population, to issues of justice, inequality and exploitation.

Governments and companies are increasingly setting ambitious net zero emissions targets in ways which seek to protect nature and address food and land use systems’ contribution to the climate crisis, but the pace of change is not sufficient; the world must unlock rapid change at scale to drive the transformation that is needed.

The Global Systems Institute (GSI) is collaborating with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), SYSTEMIQ and others to explore the potential for positive, systemic "tipping points" to trigger and accelerate change across interacting socio-technical, ecological and economic systems that form key elements of global food production. At this workshop we will present a co-developed framework to guide actors in the triggering of positive tipping points towards a desired system state, and outline three case studies in applying this framework to key food and land use system transitions:

• Diversifying protein supply

• Scaling regenerative agriculture

• Protecting and restoring nature

The discussion sessions will build on these themes, working together across our transdisciplinary experience to dive deeper into understanding opportunities and pathways for triggering positive tipping points.

Registration

To register, please click the green "register" button at the top of this page. Please note you will be invited to select a discussion group to participate in, the options will be outlined in the registration form.

The Zoom link will be distributed a few hours before the event. Please email infoGSI@exeter.ac.uk with any queries.

Speakers

Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute and Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter.

Tim's research focuses on understanding the behaviour of the Earth as a whole system, especially through the development and use of Earth system models. He is particularly interested in how life has reshaped the planet in the past, and what lessons we can draw from this as we proceed to reshape the planet now. His award-winning work identifying tipping points in the climate system has led him on to examine positive tipping points within our social systems which could help accelerate progress towards a more sustainable future.

Talia Smith, Co-Head of Knowledge Generation, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU)

Talia is currently the Co-Head of Knowledge Generation at the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) Secretariat, where her passion is helping to deliver solutions to transform global food and land use systems to work better for people, nature and climate.

Prior to joining FOLU, Talia was an international development consultant, designing infrastructure, land use and natural resource management programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. She lived in Indonesia and Myanmar, focusing on smallholder agriculture and reducing deforestation. Over the years, she has worked with a range of governments and development partners, including DFID, UNDP, UNEP, UNOPS, USAID and the World Bank.

Talia holds a degree in International Development (Political Science and Economics) from McGill University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Scarlett Benson, Co-Head of Knowledge Generation, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU)

Scarlett is currently the Co-Head of Knowledge Generation at the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) Secretariat, and co-author of FOLU’s Global Consultation Report, Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use which was released in September 2019.

Prior to FOLU, Scarlett led the climate risk management team at a London-based sustainability consultancy advising some of the world’s largest companies – for example working with global supermarket Tesco to set the world’s first approved 1.5 degree aligned emission reduction target and with large financial institutions to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

Scarlett has a degree in Human Sciences (an eclectic interdisciplinary mix of genetics, anthropology, demography and animal behaviour) from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Environmental Technology, majoring in Ecology and Conservation, from Imperial College, London.