Mid and East Antrim Mayor signs Glasgow Declaration

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr William McCaughey, said: “This month, Glasgow City is hosting nearly 200 governments for the UNFCCC 26th Conference of the Parties. The most important climate change summit since the Paris Agreement, the summit will face the monumental task of bridging the gap between countries’ current climate commitments and the significant transformation needed to tackle the climate emergency. With food systems currently accounting for one third of total GHG emissions and simultaneously holding the potential to deliver on climate action with co-benefits for biodiversity, health, livelihoods and justice, COP26 is a unique opportunity to bring food systems reform to the forefront of the climate debate.”

An official presentation of the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration was held on November 6, in collaboration with Nourish Scotland, the City of Glasgow, ICLEI, C40, the Under2 Coalition and the wider Glasgow Declaration partnership.

The Mayor said: “My invitation to sign the Declaration came thanks to Council taking steps to become a Sustainable Food Place (SFP) this year. The aim of SFP is to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of where people live.

“The programme was previously “Sustainable Food Cities” but has amended its parameters as of 2021 to allow boroughs and counties to join the process for the first time, a chance Mid and East Antrim has jumped at. SFP is one of the fastest-growing social movements in the UK today and has been in existence since 2013.

“I am pleased to confirm I have signed this important declaration, confirming Council’s support, on both a national and global scale, to address food sustainability and climate action, and ensure a more sustainable future for our Borough and ratepayers.”