LEAF
 

LEAF and COP26

How is LEAF involved in COP26? Our aims, contributions, commitments and actions. Also, find out how LEAF Education are working with Sainsbury's to help teachers educate students about food, farming and the environment.

LEAF Edu­ca­tion and COP26
Home / LEAF and COP26
COP26 LOGO

LEAF's ambition is that within the next 5 years, 85% of UK fruit and vegetables will be grown on LEAF Marque certified businesses.

With COP26 occurring in Glasgow, LEAF has the opportunity to take this message to world leaders to help address some of the big targets and ambitions that will be discussed.

The message is clear that we need to work together to adapt and protect communities and natural environments across the globe. With over 30 years of legacy, LEAF has strong building blocks to inspire and enable farmers to be the driving force of change, shaping the future of more sustainable farming. Through LEAF’s vision and mission, we support the delivery of positive action for the climate inspiring more circular approaches to farming and food systems. Together this will enable us to tackle the climate crisis with collaboration between farmers, scientists, governments, environmentalists, businesses, the food industry, teachers, young people and civil society.

“With over 30 years of expe­ri­ence, LEAF has strong build­ing blocks to inspire and enable farm­ers to be the dri­ving force of change, shap­ing the future of sus­tain­able farming.”

What are the big targets at COP26?

1. Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach

Countries are being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century.

To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to:

  • accelerate the phase-out of coal
  • curtail deforestation
  • speed up the switch to electric vehicles
  • encourage investment in renewables

2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats

The climate has always changed and it will continue to do so even as we reduce emissions, with devastating effects.

At COP26 we need to work together to enable and encourage countries affected by climate change to:

  • protect and restore ecosystems
  • build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives

3. Mobilise finance

To deliver on the first two goals, developed countries must make good on their promise to mobilise at least $100bn in climate finance per year by 2020.

International financial institutions must play their part and we need work towards unleashing the trillions in private and public sector finance required to secure global net zero.

4. Work together to deliver change

We can only rise to the challenges of the climate crisis by working together.

At COP26 we must:

  • finalise the Paris Rulebook (the detailed rules that make the Paris Agreement operational)
  • accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis through collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society.

How is LEAF involved in COP26?

LEAF is attend­ing COP26 with ​‘observ­er sta­tus’, allow­ing access to the room as deci­sions are made, giv­ing us the oppor­tu­ni­ty to high­light our ambi­tions and pro­mote the great work of our farm­ers and mem­bers. And, with Sains­bury’s, we are also show­cas­ing some of our edu­ca­tion work. 

In addi­tion, LEAF are involved with the work of the Inter­na­tion­al Union for Con­ser­va­tion of Nature (IUCN) around their glob­al stan­dard for Nature-based Solu­tion (NbS). As part of this ongo­ing work, we are work­ing towards being recog­nised by the IUCN stan­dard for NbS and mak­ing a pledge to the Bonn chal­lenge, ​“a glob­al goal to bring 150 mil­lion hectares of degrad­ed and defor­est­ed land­scapes into restora­tion by 2020 and 350 mil­lion hectares by 2030”. 

LEAF Education and COP26

LEAF Edu­ca­tion and COP26

LEAF Edu­ca­tion has teamed up with Sains­bury’s to offer a series of resources to help stu­dents learn more about the caus­es, effects and solu­tions of glob­al cli­mate change.

Continue Reading

Our contribution

Integrated Farm Management

Integrated Farm Management (IFM) is a whole farm business approach that uses the best of modern technology and traditional methods, delivering more sustainable farming by contributing to economic performance, environmental quality and social health. The efficiency and attention to detail of IFM supports positive action for climate change, reducing farmers' carbon footprint.

Learn more
LEAF Marque

LEAF Mar­que is an envi­ron­men­tal assur­ance sys­tem recog­nis­ing more sus­tain­ably farmed prod­ucts. It provides an opportunity for consumers to engage through their buying habits to be part of the solution to adopt positive action for climate, nature, the economy and society, whilst recognising farmers for their environmental commitment.

Find out more
Our legacy & impact

With over 30 years experience in developing and promoting more sustainable agriculture, our impact continues at scale and speed. Our work with farmers, environmentalists, researchers and the food industry has supported meaningful change to more climate positive, regenerative farming and food systems as we continue to work together with practical, realistic and achievable solutions.

Nature-based Solutions

Farmers are increasingly adopting Nature-based Solutions approaches to combat climate change. For LEAF, this is working with our farmers to understand better how Nature-based Solutions and Technology-based Solutions can go hand in hand to drive improvement, efficiencies, protection and less impactful farming approaches.

Read more

Our commitments

LEAF has signed up to Race to Zero to reduce our emissions, encouraging our members and other companies to do the same.

LEAF is committed to work with the Bonn Challenge as a Non-State Actor to produce case studies practical approaches to restore landscapes on farm.

Our action:

LEAF announces new ambitious 10 year strategy

Global sustainable farming organisation, LEAF, has launched an ambitious plan ‘to transform the farming and food systems through positive action for the climate, nature, the economy and society’.

Read Article

New report reveals LEAF Marque businesses are leading the way in climate positive farming

Leading global sustainable farming organisation, LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) has today (26 March 2021) released its latest Global Impacts Report, showing the continued progress of LEAF Marque certified businesses…

Read Article

Tesco transforms environmental standards for growers with adoption of global LEAF Marque Standard

Roll-out of LEAF Marque will improve environmental standards across 14,000 growers globally.

Read Article

Work­ing along­side our partners

LEAF works in part­ner­ship with a num­ber of like-mind­ed organ­i­sa­tions sup­port­ing the devel­op­ment, demon­stra­tion and uptake of more sus­tain­able farming. 

Find Out More

How can you get involved?