Minister Heydon concludes participation at the AIM4C Summit
- Published on: 11 May 2023
- Last updated on: 16 May 2023
Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, highlighted Ireland's efforts to become a world leader in Sustainable Food Systems at the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) Summit which took place in Washington D.C.
Reflecting on the event, an important milestone ahead of COP28 in Dubai in November, Minister Heydon said:
“Over 500 partners have come together under the AIM4C initiative to commit increased investment and support for climate related agriculture and food systems research at a time of worsening food security globally. It reflects the global drive to accelerate innovation and to develop implementable solutions.”
Minister Heydon held a series of important bilaterals over the course of the Summit, including:
- Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, Minister at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
- Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Under-Secretary at the USDA for Research, Education and Economics
- Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary at the USDA for Farm Production and Conservation
- Dr. Cary Fowler, US Special Envoy for Global Food Security
Minister Heydon added:
“These engagements were an important opportunity to highlight the considerable work being done in Ireland to address the challenges of climate change and food security through innovation. Through sharing our experience, we hope to play a key role in the global transformation of food systems which will be of benefit to all.”
During the Summit Ireland was invited to participate in the EU-led breakout session on soil health to address climate change. Dr. Karen Daly from Teagasc spoke to the practical challenges of monitoring and verifying soil carbon sequestion, while Minister Heydon pointed to the importance of soil health in sequestering carbon, producing nutrient dense food, supporting biodiversity, and building resilience against climate change.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine hosted a session at the Summit entitled “Ireland’s Agri-Food Sector Transformation Deep Demonstration” which was led by the Minister.
In his opening remarks, Minister Heydon said:
“To meet the UN sustainability goals of addressing climate change while also achieving zero hunger, there is a collective responsibility to find a way to meet the competing demands of land use while ensuring our food productions systems continue to produce food but with fewer emissions.
"The answer is innovation, but these innovations need to be implemented. To help deliver an accelerated pathway, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have partnered with EIT Climate KIC to support national climate action in the agriculture sector.”
Concluding on the Summit, Minister Heydon said:
"I am confident that the agriculture community will deliver on its commitments on the global journey to net zero: scientific innovation will ensure that we develop our food production systems to continue to produce food more sustainability.
"Partnerships like AIM4C provide a platform to combine our efforts internationally, sharing solutions across the world for a transition pathway that is credible, economically viable for farmers and which will bring everyone with us."
Notes
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate / AIM4C) is a joint initiative by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The initiative was established in 2021, being formally launched at COP26 in Glasgow, UK, on 2 November 2021.
AIM for Climate Progress: the Summit saw the announcement of new investments, partners and resources to propel the initiative into COP28, including:
- increased investment: Partners have increased investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation to more than $13 billion (over a 2020 baseline), exceeding the challenge by U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry at COP27 to achieve $10 billion by COP28
- innovation sprints: 21 new innovation sprints totalling an additional $1.8 billion in increased investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation, bringing the total number of innovation sprints to 51 (over $3 billion)
- partners: New partners including the governments of Argentina, Fiji, Guatemala, India, Panama, Paraguay and Sri Lanka, bringing the total number of government, innovation sprints, and knowledge partners to more than 500
- agriculture breakthrough:The Breakthrough Agenda, launched by 45 world leaders at COP26, is an international plan to coordinate and strengthen collective climate action year-on-year to dramatically scale and speed up the deployment of clean technologies and drive down costs. The Agriculture Breakthrough is focused on international action to accelerate deployment and adoption of technologies and solutions that can “make climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture the most attractive and widely adopted option for farmers everywhere by 2030
- Ireland’s AIM4C Breakout Session- “Ireland’s Agri-Food Sector Transformation Deep Demonstration”:
- The Irish Climate Action Plan 2023 and the Food Vision 2030 Strategy have together set out ambitious plans for the Irish agri-food sector. The goal is to reduce emissions by 25% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Achieving this will require new and innovative approaches by everyone in the industry and beyond. Ireland needs to embed new thinking and approaches across the sector to deliver climate goals whilst retaining a thriving sector.
- Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine has partnered with EIT Climate-KIC – Europe’s largest climate innovation partnership - to work with public and private stakeholders in the Irish agri-food sector and help the sector deliver an accelerated pathway of climate action.
- Climate KIC are combining their international expertise on climate innovation and system change with local knowledge and organisations to support the agri-food sector to thrive while meeting challenging climate targets.
- the Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23), launched in December 2022, is the second annual update to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2019. This plan is the first to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, and following the introduction of economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings. Implementation of the Climate Action Plan will create jobs, new economic opportunities and protect people and the planet. You can view CAP23 and its annex of actions HERE or visit www.gov.ie/climateaction