Gordon C. McCord and Guido Schmidt-Traub’s essay underscores the urgent need to address the unsustainable nature of global food and land use systems, responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. Emphasizing the threat posed to economic development and climate action outlined in international frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals, the authors propose a twofold solution. Firstly, they advocate for national governments to develop comprehensive, geospatially explicit roadmaps for sustainable land use and food systems, incorporating diverse factors and led by scientific institutions. Secondly, the authors recommend the creation of inter-agency task forces to coordinate efforts across government departments, ensuring a cohesive approach to meeting climate, biodiversity, and food system goals. The essay emphasizes the importance of international cooperation, research and development, and the role of COP28 in fostering transformative change with analytical tools and collaborative mechanisms.