Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Eating locally would only have a significant impact if transport was responsible for a large share of food’s final carbon footprint. For most foods, this is not the case.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation make up a very small amount of the emissions from food, and what you eat is far more important than where your food traveled from.
For most foods — and particularly the largest emitters — most GHG emissions result from land use change (shown in green) and from processes at the farm stage (brown). Farm-stage emissions include processes such as the application of fertilizers — both organic (“manure management”) and synthetic; and enteric fermentation (the production of methane in the stomachs of cattle). Combined, land use and farm-stage emissions account for more than 80% of the footprint for most foods.
Transport is a small contributor to emissions. For most food products, it accounts for less than 10%, and it’s much smaller for the largest GHG emitters. In beef from beef herds, it’s 0.5%.
Okay, but how about we eat the rich instead?
The consumption of Elon Musk has been proven to be significantly more effective at reducing carbon than eating pork, beef or chicken
I’m just spitballing here, but what if…… we all went vegan and stopped having children??
The problem is the system, not the head count. As AI and automation advances, the capitalist class will have no problem causing just as much ecological damage with a hundredth of the current population.
People don’t produce all that much CO2, and by stewarding (food) forests and tending gardens they can be part of an ecosystem that absorbs more CO2 than they produce.
If you care enough about the environment to go vegan, you can raise your children to be net positive for the planet.
That does mean destroying capitalism, including most of the automotive industry, agriculture industry, aviation industry, data centers, and more.
That does mean destroying capitalism, including most of the automotive industry, agriculture industry, aviation industry, data centers, and more.
But muh Xbox n Mustang n burgers!
In my mind, local food is more about the economics of supporting small businesses in your community. Sure, eating beans and lentils shipped across the world to your closest whole foods may have a smaller carbon footprint, but your money is still being siphoned to the big businesses in that supply chain.
The concept of a personal “carbon footprint” was popularized by oil companies to refocus attention away from their responsibility for climate change
To keep my carbon footprint low I dont buy from oil companies
That one step is the one they were trying to avoid with the rest of this non-sense. You’re not going to make up the difference for others not doing the same, with this stuff, or telling others to do this stuff.
And now those people are the ones crying about fuel prices while I don’t give a shit because I don’t even want it.
I just refuse to budget more for fuel when its more expensive. Gimme an excuse to refuse to leave the house because I don’t have the fuel in my car to drive across town for whatever non-sense and still make it to work until pay-day, I’m going to take it.
Suppose I do this too, just that my budget is always zero
I mean, yes, but the point I was making is that most people don’t, and so demand doesn’t adjust to supply or pricing quite as-it-should. I’ve got a few more payments to make on the vehicles I have before EV’s become anything-like a feasible option for me.
It’s a useful tool, but you are correct that everything is overwhelmingly dominated by primary use of fossil fuels.
Why does the article compare kilograms of food instead of equivalent calorie amounts?
The study provides data per 100g of protein, which seems like more useful comparison.
Yep, that’s the one!
There are other reasons to buy local-ish. If you’re lucky, local farms have stricter labor and environmental regulations, ie use less pesticides and better treat workers, than oversea farmers.
That being said it make sense to focus on eating less beef and lamb products.
For many years after I retired I didn’t drive at all. I could go a month without using the car. Really was proud of myself for saving the planet.
Then my health went to hell. I’m always driving to the doctor, and eating a lot of beef (anemic). I’m actually tired of eating beef. But the other option is transfusions, so carbon footprint be damned.
Give me a couple of years and I’ll show how to reduce carbon footprint. It’s not going to look pretty thought.
But as others have said, how much carbon footprint does Bezos yacht have?
But as others have said, how much carbon footprint does Bezos yacht have?
This is my conclusion as well.
I am conscientious about what I use/buy/eat, preferring local products even if they cost a bit more. I like walking and public transport is super convenient.As long as I’m not buying Nestlé (as much as I can, I’m still surprised by finding Nestlé products). Fuck Nestlé
I get this. My wife has medical issues and we can’t exactly walk everywhere and she can’t ride a bike at all comfortably. We actually put a lot of time into finding something that would work and she hurt herself. Granted we were looking at affordable options.
Sorry that happened that must have been a real bummer.
well yeah its our life situation and others have worse.
I’m actually tired of eating beef.
Would beef-liver supplements (like in pill form) be enough iron to replace the beef?
They carry their own problems. I tried several iron supplements. Weirdly, a common side effect is excruciating back pain. Just eating unprocessed beef works best.
Ah, bummer :(
Why is every meat called by it’s food name (beef, mutton, poultry etc) except for pork… Which is “pig meat”?
Maybe to differentiate from pork in general and products made with pork (Bacon, sausages…).
Just a thought, no source
Is beef a name for cows used outside of food?
Yep. Growing up in cattle country, you’d hear ranches brag about how many beef cattle they’re raising, and it gets shortened to “I’ve got 30k heads of beef this season”.
What about manflesh? Would this be rated high CO2 content, or low because eating the emitter is probably one of the best ways to get emissions down.
That’s just long pig.
A connoisseur, I see.
You can see this directly from the Iran war effects: peaking oil prices and fossil scarcity are harming food production more globally (via fertilizers, pesticides, tractors) than transporting it.
I didn’t realise sheep farted so much!
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Why in fuck would you oversimplify to that extent? Clearly many factors matter when purchasing food.
