Through shaping policy, guiding the food industry, and directly providing advice to consumers, nutrition professionals play a central role in influencing what the world eats.
Since nutrition, food, and the food system are so influential on personal, public, and planetary health, nutrition professionals are perfectly poised to make lasting positive changes to our world and everyone who lives in it.
Now, to all the nutritionists & dietitians reading this, you're probably expecting me to try to convince you that because of your unique position, and because it's the right thing to do, you are morally obliged to help fight against climate change.
Well, no, I'm actually here to tell you that you are contractually obliged to...!
Why as a registered nutritionist or dietitian am I contractually obliged to care about and act upon climate change?
All the governing bodies for registered nutrition professionals, including the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and the Association for Nutrition (AfN), have a code of conduct that all of their registrants must adhere to. These documents set out rigorous standards of competence and professionalism that signify a high quality of service and practice.
For example, as an Associate Registered Nutritionist under the AfN, I am committed to upholding the values detailed in the AfN Standards of Ethics, Conduct, and Performance.
Two of the standards listed in the AfN Standards of Ethics, Conduct, and Performance document are:
Maintain high standards of scientific integrity in their nutrition career
Act in the best interests of clients
Similarly, in the BDA's Code of Conduct, it states that...
Members will seek to promote best practice, based on the most up-to-date knowledge, practice, and evidence
Members will put the interests of their service-users first, practice safely and effectively, and identify and manage risk
It is vital that nutrition professionals stick to this guidance. Doing so ensures safety and prosperity for both the client and the professional.
Our commitment to "applying the scientific principles", as written by the AfN, extends to all science that directly impacts food, nutrition, and health. Climate change science, as we will explore, sits slap bang in the middle of the scientific principles that we need to be applying.
You might be thinking that these codes of conduct also tell us to stay within our scope of practice and to not stray outside our area our expertise. What I'm here to show you is that climate change and its relationship with food and health IS well within our scope of practice. The lack of understanding of this amongst professionals is a failing of our education, not evidence of its irrelevance.
So, how is climate change linked with food, nutrition, and health?
There is an abundance of rigorously tested, peer-reviewed evidence detailing the relationship between climate change, food, and health. There are two key things to know:
1. Climate change affects food & health:
There are many routes by which climate change can impact our food system and food security - and thus many ways it can impact human health. The IPCC has revealed how climate change is affecting the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilisation, and stability.
Reduced yields in crop and livestock system
Reduced yield from lack of pollinators
Price rise and spike effects on low-income consumers, particularly in women and children due to lack of resources to purchase food
Extreme events disrupting agricultural trade, food storage, and transportation infrastructure
Impacts on food safety due to increased prevalence of microorganisms and toxins
The decline in nutritional quality resulting from atmospheric CO2 (increased atmospheric carbon decreases protein concentration in wheat, rice, and maize)
Increased risk of diarrheal and other infectious diseases due to increased risk of flooding
Widespread crop failure contributing to migration and conflict
All these factors have the potential to alter both physical health as well as cultural health, through changing the amount, safety, and quality of food available for individuals within their cultural context.
2. The food we eat affects climate change
Around a third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions come from our food system. Specifically, sources of CO2 and other greenhouses gases come from:
Land use: this includes deforestation, peatland degradation and fires, and emissions from cultivated soils.
Agricultural production: this includes emissions from synthetic fertilizers (and the energy used to manufacture them); manure; methane emissions from livestock and rice; aquaculture; and fuel use from on-farm machinery.
Supply chain: this includes all emissions from food processing, packaging, transport, and retail, such as refrigeration.
Post-retail: this is all the energy used by consumers for food preparation, such as refrigeration and cooking at home. It also includes emissions from consumer food waste.
The following graphs do a far better job of illustrating the problem than my words ever could...
The relationship between climate change and health is therefore two-way. Our diets directly impact climate change, and climate change is directly impacting our diets.
If we are to adhere to the guidance set out in the AfN Standards of Ethics, Conduct, and Performance, and "maintain high standards of scientific integrity", we simply cannot overlook this scientific evidence.
Finally, referring back to the guidance set out in the Codes of Conduct, and given the stark picture seen when looking at the threats of climate change... climate stability is in the best interests of our clients!
How can I integrate climate science into my practice as a nutrition professional?
LEARN
There are lots of ways to learn more about climate change science and food sustainability. Here are just a few...
Watch some of the AfN & BDA-accredited CPD Webinars from MyNutriWeb
Take a look at One Blue Dot, the BDA's Environmentally Sustainable Diet Project
Check out the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health
Stay up to date with my blog! (Shameless plug)
As UKVRN Registrants we must undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD every year. Why not use some of this time to expand your knowledge on food sustainability.
TALK
I've found that one of the best ways to learn more about something, expand my perspective, and get motivated to take action is by having conversations with people. This can be people who know a lot about food sustainability, or people who know very little! Just speak to more people! You will either learn something new or get a fresh perspective, and it helps bring climate change to the forefront of our conversations.
ACT
There are many ways we as nutrition professionals can take action against climate change.
We can make small changes to our own lives that reduce our environmental footprint,
However, more importantly, we can integrate sustainability into our work...
For example, when working directly with clients, we can consider the sustainability of the foods we're recommending. Can you suggest some equally beneficial but more planet-friendly alternatives? Perhaps even take the opportunity to chat about sustainability with them, which can help to demystify this often-overwhelming subject. (Sometimes the foods we need to suggest to people may not be the most sustainable - and that's okay!)
Alternatively, when working in a public health or food industry setting, we can assist with operational or policy changes that have a more positive environmental impact.
I hope this article has given you a better understanding of the relationship between food and climate, as well as the motivation to take action in your personal and professional lives. Please get in touch if you would like to learn more.
Key sources & further reading:
Our World in Data - Environmental impacts of food production
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