Professor Paul Behrens of the Oxford martin School at the University of Oxford works at the intersection of food systems, climate change, and food security. Originally trained in physics and astronomy, he spent years working on energy systems before turning his attention to what he now believes is one of the most fragile and underestimated threats we face: the food system that feeds us.Paul is the author of the popular science book, The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science (Indigo Press, 2021) which describes humanity’s current trajectory and possible futures in paired chapters of pessimism and hope. His research and writing on climate, energy, and food, has appeared in scientific journals and media outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Thomson Reuters, Politico, Nature Sustainability, Nature Energy, PNAS, Nature Food, and We coverClimate change is already driving a third of food price inflation in the UK, with drought, flooding, geopolitical instability, and energy shocks potentially pushing prices to 1970s levelsThe UK holds between three days and three weeks of food storage; Finland has nine monthsA Joint Intelligence Committee report on ecosystem collapse was suppressed before being released in abridged form.Animals lose between 80–97% of the calories fed to them; that inefficiency becomes catastrophic as climate change shrinks the productive biosphereShifting to a planetary health diet could reduce emissions by 61%, spare an area the size of Scotland, and save the NHS tens of billions of pounds a yearWe massively underestimate each other's willingness to act on climate — 60% of people intending to vote Reform support onshore wind turbinesOver 40% of the UK supports a meat tax, despite politicians treating it as political suicideFood price spikes historically drive political instability and state collapse; climate change contributed to the Syrian conflict and is already destabilising politics worldwideTrump's election and the current political atmosphere are partly driven by climate impacts we're not naming as suchDenmark's food transition plan is the most credible government approach in the worldNew York hospitals made plant-based meals the default and found them cheaper, healthier, and more popularFar more grazing land could support arable agriculture than commonly assumedHeritage arguments about land use are recent and shouldn't override future food securityRewilding and nature management could increase farmer incomes while restoring biodiversity——Find Paul's work and research at the University of OxfordRead the National Emergency Briefing at https://www.nebriefing.org/Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/——Chapters