1/15/2024 0 Comments Pictures of pf changes foodHow can food-related emissions be reduced? Emissions can be compared based on weight (per kilogram of food), or in terms of nutritional units (per 100 grams of protein or per 1000 kilocalories) which shows us how efficiently different foods supply protein or energy. Here are three charts showing the carbon footprint of different food products. Plant-based foods – such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils – generally use less energy, land, and water, and have lower greenhouse gas intensities than animal-based foods. The large carbon footprint of shrimp or prawns is mainly due to the stored carbon that is released into the atmosphere when mangroves are cut down to create shrimp farms. Shrimp farms often occupy coastal lands formerly covered in mangrove forests which absorb huge amounts of carbon.The cattle’s waste on pastures and chemical fertilizers used on crops for cattle feed emit nitrous oxide, another powerful greenhouse gas.Cows and sheep emit methane as they digest grass and plants.Meat production often requires extensive grasslands, which is often created by cutting down trees, releasing carbon dioxide stored in forests.The emissions intensity is expressed in kilograms of “carbon dioxide equivalents” – which includes not only CO2 but all greenhouse gases – per kilogram of food, per gram of protein or per calorie.Īnimal-based foods, especially red meat, dairy, and farmed shrimp, are generally associated with the highest greenhouse gas emissions. The climate impact of food is measured in terms of greenhouse gas emissions intensity. Which foods cause the most greenhouse gas emissions? industrial processes such as the production of paper and aluminum for packaging,.other agricultural emissions from manure management, rice cultivation, burning of crop residues, and the use of fuel on farms.Ī much smaller share of the greenhouse gas emissions of food are caused by:.carbon dioxide from cutting down forests for the expansion of farmland,.nitrous oxide from fertilizers used for crop production,.methane from cattle’s digestive process,.The largest chunk of food-related greenhouse gases comes from agriculture and land use. About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food. Each of these steps creates greenhouse gases that trap the sun’s heat and contribute to climate change. What we eat, and how that food is produced, affects our health but also the environment.įood needs to be grown and processed, transported, distributed, prepared, consumed, and sometimes disposed of. What does food have to do with climate change?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |