Oxford University scientist receives international award for research on the impact of food on climate change
The British researcher is honoured for her commitment to reduce the food system’s impact on the climate through research and dialogue.
Dr Tara Garnett
For the 2nd award, the Premio Daniel Carasso was awarded to Dr. Tara Garnett, researcher at the University of Oxford, for her entire work, including her thorough research on the contribution of food systems on greenhouse gas emissions, and the scope for emissions reduction through the adoption of sustainable diets.
Tara Garnett also initiated and leads the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN), an interdisciplinary and intersectoral global network bringing together 1,500 members from 70 countries around the world. The FCRN offers to the different stakeholders the conditions to communicate and build mutual understanding of food systems, in order to find common solutions to their environmental impact.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD, A MAJOR LEVER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
Our food systems, from production to consumption, through processing and distribution, seriously damage our environment. The food systems, including the processes of production, processing and cooking, transport, distribution and refrigeration, account for 20-30% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The rearing of livestock and consumption of animal products generate especially significant impacts, accounting for over half of this, or 15% of all human generated emissions.
Tara Garnett carries out research specifically on sustainable diets, which are diets both able to reduce our impact on the environment and to guarantee food and nutrition security for this generation and those to come. According to the British researcher, “we must not take food for granted. Food connects us to the planet, it connects us to other people in countries both near and far, and it is such an important aspect of our lives. If we are going to have a future on this planet that is better for our children and for other species, we have to address the sustainability of our food systems.”
THE 2015 PREMIO DANIEL CARASSO AWARD CEREMONY
The Premio Daniel Carasso was presented this Thursday 17th of September 2015 to Dr. Tara Garnett by Marina Nahmias, Chair of the board of the Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso, at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. According to Marina Nahmias, “with the creation of the Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso, our family seeks to raise the profiles of societal issues, including a particularly worrying one: how will we feed the 9 billion people on our planet by 2050 without
damaging the Earth’s resources and ensuring a balanced diet for all? The work carried out by Tara Garnett for more than ten years gives us good hope of a solution to this issue and we are very happy to award her the Premio Daniel Carasso this year, of which she embodies so well the values: rigor, excellence and pragmatism.”
Sara Scherr, CEO of Ecoagriculture Partners (Washington DC) and who presided over the 2015 Premio Daniel Carasso’s Jury says that “Tara Garnett was outstanding in all the criteria of the Premio Daniel Carasso: advancing sustainable diets through transdisciplinary research, having published extensively in scientific literature, demonstrating great team leadership capacity to generate impacts in terms of originality and innovation. All of these convinced us that Tara Garnett would be an excellent ambassador for the Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso. Receiving the Premio Daniel Carasso can provide her with the visibility and recognition for her projects to reach their full potential. “
The trophy presented to the laureate is a piece of art specially conceived for the Premio Daniel Carasso by the famous Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa.
THE PREMIO DANIEL CARASSO, A UNIQUE SUPPORT for RESEARCH on SUSTAINABLE FOOD Systems
The Premio Daniel Carasso is an International Scientific Prize awarded by the Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso, which rewards and supports high level scientific research on the topic of sustainable food and diets for long term health. It celebrates pluridisciplinary research in the field of sustainable food, team spirit and collaboration between professionals to reach solutions. The Premio Daniel Carasso laureate is appointed by internationally recognized experts.
The prize bears the name of Daniel Carasso, founder of Danone in France and Dannon Inc. in the United States. To perpetuate his dream to ”feed the planet” and as a tribute to his interest in science, his optimistic belief in human beings and his confidence in the future, the Premio Daniel Carasso was created in 2012 by his daughter Marina Nahmias.
About the Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso
Created in 2010 under the aegis of the Foundation de France, this family foundation was established in memory of Daniel Carasso, founder of Danone in France and Dannon Inc. in the United States, and of his wife Nina. Their daughter, Marina Nahmias, President of the Foundation, has been inspired by her parents’ respective passions for food and art, and by their shared values: curiosity, tolerance, high standards and energy. The Foundation is totally independent from the Danone group.
The Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso supports two areas that contribute to people’s self-development and make their lives more harmonious: food to sustain life and art to nourish the mind. Its headquarters are in Paris (France) and it has one country office in Madrid (Spain). The Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso supports projects in these two countries and also promotes an international scientific mobilization to take action towards what is at stake for tomorrow’s food. Hence, the launch of the Premio Daniel Carasso and the creation of IPES-Food (International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems), an international group of experts on sustainable food systems, co-chaired by Olivier De Schutter (former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food) and Olivia Yambi (nutritionist and former UNICEF representative to Kenya).
More information on www.fondationcarasso.org
