The opening meeting of the Advisory Board took place in Parma, with President Guido Barilla, Vice President Paolo Barilla and Managing  Director Massimo Potenza doing honors as hosts. Barbara Buchner, Mario Monti, Gabriele Riccardi, Camillo Ricordi, Joseph Sassoon and Umberto Veronesi, assisted by Valerio De Molli of the European House-Ambrosetti, discussed a number of the principal themes studied by the Center, focusing especially on the relationship between climate change and agriculture. Each member of the group highlighted the specific issues inherent to his or her specific areas of expertise in a multidisciplinary approach to this important topic, which will be the focus of an upcoming publication by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition. The main evidence for climate change, the factors causing it, and possible future scenarios were the subject of thoroughgoing debate. Particular attention was dedicated to the concept of “Ecological Footprint”, of which the “carbon footprint” is the most significant and widely recognized component.