THE PLOTLINE

We explore
the intersection
of food and climate
through data

We release new data, findings and experiments every month. Check back soon.

We’re a community of data scientists, designers, and creative technologists on a mission to help create a food system rooted in data and designed to be resilient in the face of climate change.

2050
2050
2050

The Big Picture

The global food system is
harming the environment.

The food system accounts for more than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2021 study in Nature Food. What’s worse, emissions from food are projected to increase by at least 50% by 2050.

1.

Climate chaos is
disrupting the global food
system.

A rapidly changing environment is creating future scenarios with worsening food security and hunger. In fact, natural disasters are upending food supply chains right this minute.

2.

The problem is dynamic
and multifaceted.

It can be difficult for stakeholders in the food system to know how to take decisive action on this problem, in part, because they lack reliable data tools needed to inform decision-making.

3.

Topics We're Exploring

In the food and climate community, there are big questions to explore in order to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.

Questions like: How might we create an equitable food system that nourishes everyone? Or what can trend lines tell us about food security?

To find answers to the big questions, we’re starting with more pointed ones.

 

Are there tipping points in
the intensity of extreme
weather events that will
cause global food shortages?

How might artificial intelligence and machine learning be used to help improve early warning systems to identify and inform those who are most vulnerable to food insecurity challenges?

What are feasible top-down or bottom-up pathways for different sectors to enhance food security?

What are feasible top-down or bottom-up pathways for different sectors to enhance food security?

explore

Highlighted Experiments

A Digital Twin of Food Systems
Food Twin is a proof of concept digital twin of the United States food system. This application is based on a custom model mapping production of grown foods in the United States to where these foods are consumed. The model reveals a brittle and centralized food system that is at a high risk to be impacted by climate change economic shocks.
Food Twin
CASE STUDY
NO.1
Food Twin
CASE STUDY
NO.1
VIEW MORE
A More Sustainable Food Future in Africa
Africa has been and will continue to be the region in the world most adversely affected by climate change. Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) addresses food security in Africa by developing and mobilizing investment in resilient, nutritious indigenous crops suited to the changing climate. Explore the vision for yourself in this interactive application.
VACS Explorer
CASE STUDY
NO.2
VACS Explorer
CASE STUDY
NO.2
VIEW MORE
learn
learn
learn

Browse our library of food and climate data interactives
and experiences

About us

How We Work

This exploratory project uses data science and technology to help create a more resilient food system. Our platform provides access to iterative prototyping, data, and insights to benefit the entire sector and help conversations go deeper, faster.

Learning in the open accelerates what we’re able to build together. We invite the climate-data science community to share ideas and suggestions to co-create the tools and resources needed for a more sustainable, resilient food system.

Who We Are

We envision a more sustainable and equitable food system — a food system rooted in data and designed to be resilient in the face of climate change.

We’re building a collaborative platform to provide innovative thinkers with data-based insights at the intersection of climate change and food — starting with food insecurity.

We see this becoming a sort of open innovation platform and resource hub, a place to engage with the data and with each other.

Partners

 

With support from ClimateWorks, Earth Genome is collaborating with various stakeholders, including the U.S. State Department, to prototype data tools and visualizations that can inform policy and resource allocation.

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