Paris (AFP)

How to feed an ever larger population without destroying the nature we depend on? This crucial question for the survival of humanity is at the heart of discussions that start Friday in Geneva.

Special Report of the UN Panel of Experts on Climate (Giec) on "Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security and Greenhouse Gas Flows" in terrestrial ecosystems ", to be released next week after these closed meetings, will be the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date on the subject.

This text of more than 1,000 pages should highlight the way in which industrial food, from the producer to the consumer, the widespread exploitation of resources, and even certain efforts to counteract the effects of global warming compromise our ability to feed ourselves. 'to come up.

It should also paint the picture of a society where two billion adults are overweight or obese and where large amounts of food are thrown away, when hunger affects millions of people around the world.

The conclusions of this report are summarized in a summary that the delegations of about 195 states meeting in Geneva will examine closely from Friday, before approving a final version.

This will be an opportunity to highlight the importance of optimal land use, a long neglected aspect, according to experts. "When you look at both the impacts of climate change and the contributions to that change, the land sector is incredibly important," says Lynn Scarlett, of The Nature Conservancy, to AFP.

"The impacts are vast and not just about the future: they are now rife and are critical to the well-being of people and nature," she warns.

Agriculture and deforestation thus represent about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.

- "Unsustainable" -

Agriculture uses one-third of all land and three-quarters of fresh water on the planet.

While the population is expected to be close to 10 billion by the middle of the century, compared to 2.6 billion in 1950, the fear is that the system is reaching its limits.

Meat and food waste are two black spots. About 30% of the food produced would end up in the trash.

"Although land produces far more food than it takes to feed everyone, there are still 820 million hungry people going to bed every night," says Climate Action Network's Stephan Singer.

"This report comes at a critical time because agriculture is both a victim and a driver of climate change," says Teresa Anderson of ActionAid.

The extensive cultivation of cereals such as soybeans, used to feed cattle but also for bio-fuels, contribute to the destruction of forests that store carbon.

"We need to turn our backs on harmful industrial agriculture based on chemicals, deforestation and emissions of greenhouse gases," says Teresa Anderson.

The report will also address issues of desertification and habitat degradation through agriculture, with an equivalent tropical forest area in Sri Lanka lost each year.

Another point will be the trade-offs between land use for food, carbon storage via forests and energy production from biological material.

He will not forget the plight of indigenous peoples and women, who are particularly vulnerable.

In October 2018, another special Giec report detailed the expected impacts of a global warming of only 1.5 ° C, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and ways to stay below this very ambitious threshold. .

Since then, citizen movements have been formed and hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to ask their governments to act faster against climate change.

© 2019 AFP