Dear Sir Attenborough,
Dear Ms. Thunberg…

1. Dear Sir Attenborough, Dear Ms. Thunberg,
We share your concerns, of course we do! But your proposed solutions fall significantly short. Our issue goes beyond curbing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. The problem is that the Earth is out of balance. In the early fifties of the last century, we were 2.5 billion people. By 1990, we reached 5 billion, and by 2050, we’ll be 10 billion. More people consistently meant more agricultural land and more concrete and bricks at the cost of nature. We need a Global Makeover. The concept for a solution is quite simple. As we increasingly live in cities, we use vertical farming to relocate agriculture there. We then return the freed-up agricultural land to nature. Is this affordable? Is it sustainable? Does it not consume too much energy? Well, in fact it’s very feasible! Let us explain further.

2. Global Solutions: Think Global, Act Local
Think globally, act locally. We are all familiar with the calculations that demonstrate that reducing the CO2 emissions of an individual country has a minimal effect on a global scale. In practice, we are only willing to invest in reducing CO2 emissions if other countries do so as well. This approach lacks ownership; one country does more than another. A single country might want to be the best in class, but unfortunately, this approach isn’t fully embraced. Moreover, the trade in CO2 emission rights has become a profit model, and sustainability is a devalued marketing term. However, the concept of ‘agriculture moving to the city and returning agricultural land to nature’ works on a global scale and has an immediate positive local effect!

3. Farmers as Environmental Stewards: Cultivating a Green Future
In today’s agricultural landscape, farmers often bear the dual responsibilities of land ownership and farm operation. However, the advent of vertical farming presents a unique opportunity for this conventional model to undergo a remarkable transformation. The emerging paradigm foresees a potential division of roles, with one entity assuming the role of the Property Company (PropCo), responsible for owning one or more vertical farms, while another entity takes on the mantle of the Operating Company (OpCo), overseeing day-to-day management and farm operations. These PropCos and OpCos could be owned by local or global commercial entities, possibly being publicly traded, or even operated by nonprofit organizations. This forward-thinking approach signals the dawn of a vast, uncharted terrain within the realm of agriculture and supply chains. In this visionary plan, our current capable farmers are called upon to embrace resoluteness and take decisive action. Their active engagement is an absolute prerequisite. Collectively, global farmers possess vast tracts of invaluable land spanning hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, all of which have the potential for rejuvenation and return to nature’s embrace. By divesting their land to governments and foundations dedicated to managing nature reserves, our present-day farmers can transition into roles as investors, proprietors, or operators within PropCos and OpCos. Simultaneously, this transition enables them to step into the roles of nature stewards and modern foresters. The creation of new forests stands as a cornerstone of the Global Makeover. Among these, some forests will serve as sustainable sources for fuel and construction materials, while others will stand as untouched sanctuaries, cleansing the air and cooling the earth for decades, if not centuries. This transformation is nothing short of imperative.

4. Vertical Farms: Balancing Cost and Environmental Impact
But isn’t building vertical farms unaffordable, and isn’t the energy consumption far too high? To be specific, the investment in a state-of-the-art vertical farm costs about 1000 EURO per square meter. This includes the building and the entire setup with LED systems, hydroponics, and climate installations. For the daily production of 250 grams of fresh vegetables and fruit, 1 square meter of vertical farm is needed: so, plan for 1 square meter per person for our fresh produce needs. The building itself will last 50 years. The LEDs need to be replaced every 7 years. Hydroponics, mobile cultivation systems, seeding, and harvesting machines last an average of 12 years. Costs per year for interest and depreciation: less than 100 euros per person. Energy consumption of a vertical farm in 2023: an average of 6 kWh per kg of fresh vegetables. The LEDs will become slightly more efficient in the coming years, although the end of significant efficiency gains is approaching; we can’t extract more energy in the form of light than what we put in as electrical energy. But the most significant opportunity for further reducing energy consumption per kg of product lies in increasing the harvest! We’ve learned a lot over the past decades about how to improve crop performance when we optimize the balance of light, temperature, evaporation, CO2 levels, watering, and fertilization. We’re now achieving yields that make it commercially viable to operate indoor farms for supermarket fresh produce. In the coming years, energy consumption will decrease further and will drop to 2-3 kWh per kg of fresh produce due to increasing yields. That means 250 kWh per person per year. With 250 kWh per year, you can drive an electric car for 1250 km: 3.4 km per day! So, the energy consumption of a vertical farm is manageable. Therefore, focus on the benefits and opportunities: thousands of square kilometers can be returned to nature! Next: when growing indoors, the pesticide usage is zero, and the water use is at the absolute theoretical minimum: only the water the plants incorporate into their leaves and fruits leaves the farm. All other water, both from hydroponics and crop evaporation, is recovered and reused. Thanks to vertical farms, we can have a makeover of our planet! What is the value of that?