U.S. and UAE-backed initiative announces $9 billion more for agricultural innovation projects

abcnews.go.com:

A joint initiative from the United States and United Arab Emirates is announcing an additional $9 billion of funding to tackle agriculture’s role in the climate crisis

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An additional $9 billion of funding to tackle agriculture's role in the climate crisis was announced on the sidelines of the United Nations climate talks on Friday.

The Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate, a joint initiative led by the United States and the United Arab Emirates that debuted at the climate talks in Glasgow two years ago, now has $17 billion to invest in agriculture and food systems innovation. Food systems — all the processes involved in making, shipping and disposing of food — account for about a third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Countries have been convening at the annual Conference of the Parties to discuss and negotiate what to do about climate change that has Earth bumping up against the Paris agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since industrial times. With difficult negotiations still underway on how aggressively countries might agree to cut fossil fuel use, it's been easier for nations and companies to announce funding for programs not directly related to that issue.

This year's summit, COP28, is unique in its emphasis on farming. “We would not be able to reach 1.5 degrees if we don’t fix our food and ag sector,” UAE Minister for Climate and the Environment Mariam Almheiri said in a press conference in Dubai on Friday.

The funding announced Friday is enough money and will support enough different approaches to be a good start, said Mario Herrero, a professor of food systems and global change at Cornell University. But he added