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Both our health and the environment are impacted by the food we consume and the methods used to generate it. How is the topic of food related to global warming?
Both our health and the environment are impacted by the food we consume and the methods used to generate it.
The life cycle of food includes planting, harvesting, processing, shipping, distributing, cooking, eating, and sometimes disposing of. These processes all add to the problem of global warming by producing greenhouse gases. Food production is associated with almost one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions generated by humans.
Greenhouse emissions associated with food production are mostly caused by land use and agriculture. This encompasses, among other things:
Agricultural emissions include methane from cow digestion, nitrous oxide from fertilizers used to grow crops, carbon dioxide from deforestation to make way for farms, and other gases from manure management, growing rice, burning crop leftovers, and using fuel on farms.
Greenhouse gas emissions from food production are mostly attributable to: Food storage and transportation, manufacturing packaging materials like aluminum and paper, and handling food scraps are all examples of industrial operations.
Which foods contribute the most to the release of greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity is a measure of food’s climatic effect. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions are measured in kilograms of “carbon dioxide equivalents” (CO2 + all other greenhouse gases) every kilogram of food, gram of protein, or calorie.
Most people think that the most greenhouse gas emissions come from animal products, particularly from red meat, dairy, and farmed shrimp. Why is this the case?
Cutting down trees releases carbon dioxide that is stored in forests; creating vast grasslands is a common need for meat production.
When grass and plants are digested by cows and sheep, they release methane.
Nitrous oxide is another potent greenhouse gas that is emitted by the manure of cattle and chemical fertilizers applied to crops for the purpose of livestock feed.
Coastal areas that were formerly home to mangrove forests—which sequester vast quantities of carbon dioxide—are now routinely used as shrimp farms. The destruction of mangrove forests to make way for shrimp farms releases a great deal of carbon into the atmosphere, which is the primary cause of the enormous carbon footprint associated with shrimp and prawns.
Compared to animal-based diets, plant-based foods use less energy, water, land, and have lower greenhouse gas intensities. Plant-based foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, almonds, and lentils.
The carbon footprint of various food items is shown in these three graphs. To assess the efficiency with which various meals provide energy or protein, we may look at their emissions per kilogram of food, or per 100 grams of protein, or per 1000 kilocalories.
Take note that emissions are measured in kgCO2eq, which includes not only carbon dioxide but also other greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide and methane, by converting them to carbon dioxide equivalents with the same global warming potential.All dairy products, including those from cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, and camels, are considered dairy products. Shellfish and fish are also considered farmed.The following sources were cited: – Babiker, M., G. Berndes, K. Blok, B. Cohen, A. Cowie, O. Geden, V. Ginzburg, A. Leip, P. Smith, M. Sugiyama, F. Yamba, 2022: (Chapter 12). To wit: Climate Change in 2022 (IPCC) 2022: Fighting Global Warming. Results from Working Group III’s Contribution to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report The authors of this work include P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, R. Slade, A. Al Khourdajie, R. van Diemen, D. McCollum, M. Pathak, S. Some, P. Vyas, R. Fradera, M. Belkacemi, A. Hasija, G. Lisboa, S. Luz, and J. Malley. The Cambridge University Press is based in both the United Kingdom and the United States. 10.1177/9781009157926.005: published online. [2018] by Poore and Nemecek. Minimizing the negative effects on the environment caused by food production and consumption. A publication by EDGAR-FOOD in Science, volume 360, issue 6392, pages 989–992. An international database of greenhouse gas emissions from the food industry – Our World in Data: The Environmental Effects of Food Production
Do you know how we can cut down on emissions from food production?
Modifications at every level, from farmers to shoppers, are necessary to cut down on emissions in the food industry.
If we were to change our diets to be more plant-based and eat less animal products and saturated fats, we could significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions compared to how most industrialized countries currently eat. Plant-based proteins include beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, and grains. Saturated fats include butter, milk, cheese, meat, coconut oil, and palm oil.
Increasing interest, capital, and technical advancement are being directed into alternative proteins, which include plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, insect-based proteins, and cell-based/cultivated meat.
Animal products, however, continue to play a significant role in the diets and economies of many rural peoples around the globe. Methane and other gasses created by decomposing manure and during cow digestion may be mitigated with better feeds and feeding practices. Another option is to have a smaller herd of highly productive animals. The rehabilitation of damaged lands, improved management of manure and fertilizers, rotational grazing to keep soil healthy and store carbon, and other better agricultural techniques may greatly cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases.
Concurrently, cutting down on food waste is essential. Nearly one billion tons of food, or 17% of the total food supply on Earth, ends up in landfills each year. More than 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from producing, delivering, and allowing that food to decay. The world’s third-largest emitting nation would be food waste if it were a country.
