The global food system is at a critical juncture, with the fossil fuel industry exerting a powerful and destructive influence. In 2024, a staggering $2 trillion was directly funneled into fossil fuel industries, alongside an additional $5 trillion representing the immense societal costs, from toxic air pollution to oil spills and widespread environmental devastation.
Simultaneously, nearly 90 percent of the $540 billion in annual agriculture subsidies is perpetuating harm, both to people and the planet. These funds predominantly support chemical-intensive commodity crop production, reinforcing detrimental practices that degrade ecosystems, jeopardize health, and undermine long-term food security.
While industries worldwide are gradually transitioning towards decarbonization, the global food system is moving in the opposite direction, driving up demand for fossil fuels. Major food corporations frequently employ aggressive tactics to impede public health and environmental policies, mirroring the strategies employed by fossil fuel giants to impede climate progress.
An alarming 99 percent of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are derived from fossil fuels, with fertilizer production alone consuming a third of the world’s petrochemicals, making agriculture a significant profit driver for oil and gas companies. Global pesticide usage continues to rise, with a 13 percent increase over the past decade and a doubling since 1990, particularly in countries like China, the United States, Brazil, Thailand, and Argentina.
Pesticides have emerged as a leading global driver of biodiversity loss and pose a significant threat to human health. Each year, over 385 million people experience unintentional pesticide poisonings, resulting in 11,000 deaths and impacting nearly 44 percent of the world’s farming population.
Furthermore, the extensive use of plastics in food and beverage packaging, accounting for over 10 percent of global plastic production, and an additional 3.5 percent for agriculture, underscores the food system’s substantial contribution to Big Oil’s continued expansion.
Despite this significant impact, food systems remain largely overlooked in national climate plans and global negotiations, creating a perilous blind spot that experts caution can no longer be ignored.
In light of these challenges, IPES-Food is urging governments to eliminate fossil fuel and agrochemical subsidies, remove fossil fuels from food systems, and prioritize agroecological, healthy, and resilient food systems. By transitioning to fossil-free models such as agroecology, Indigenous foodways, regenerative farming, and local supply chains, we can nourish both people and the planet sustainably.
As we approach COP30 in Brazil, it is imperative that we confront the fossil fuel blind spot within the food system and embrace transformative change. The choices we make now will determine the future of our planet, and it is crucial that we break free from the destructive cycle of powering our food system with fossil fuels.
Monica Piccinini, a regular contributor to The Ecologist and a freelance writer specializing in environmental, health, and human rights issues, emphasizes the urgency of transitioning towards fossil-free food systems. By adopting sustainable practices and prioritizing the well-being of both people and the planet, we can pave the way for a more resilient and equitable future.
