Global warming, climate changes, carbon emissions, sustainable development – these topics are becoming all too familiar as governments grapple with the effects of human activities on the environment. The world’s insatiable demands for power, mobility and material goods have meant that our environment is suffering.  

In the past 12 months, the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) which include Co2, released into the environment has continued to rise. There have also been increases in average temperatures, prolonged droughts, failing crops and melting of ice shelves. 

Food provides us with the energy and nutrients we need to survive. But what effect does food production have on climate change and what can we all do to reduce adverse effects on the environment?  

Carbon footprints

The concept of a carbon footprint developed as a way of estimating the actual amount of greenhouse gas emissions a person, product or service generates. A carbon footprint refers to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted over the lifetime of a product or service. It’s usually expressed as grams of CO2 equivalents and takes into account the different global warming effects of various GHGs. 

A carbon footprint is calculated by using a tool called the “Life Cycle Assessment” (LCA) which looks at energy consumption and GHG emissions based on the production cycle of a product. In the case of individuals, the LCA looks at the use of various energy-consuming devices (televisions, refrigerators, computers, and lighting) and choice of various transport options (cars, public transport usage, air travel). Almost everything we do affects our carbon footprint. Just leaving an appliance plugged in (even if its not on) increases energy use which in turn increases the amount of fossil fuels burnt and the release of CO2 into the atmosphere.  

Reducing carbon footprints

Because so many of our everyday actions affect the amount of energy we use, there are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint when you are preparing food.  

-          Don’t just fill the kettle to the brim for one cup of tea. Only boil as much water as you need.

-          Recycle! It has been estimated that people in cities can save more than 1 tonne of CO2 per year just be recycling half of their household waste.

-          Walk more. Don’t automatically take the car for short trips to the supermarket– use your legs and think about the many additional benefits it will have for your health.

-          Choose unpackaged foods, especially fruits and vegetables, where possible to reduce packaging waste.

-          Buy local seasonal fruits and vegetables to cut down on transportation costs

-          When cooking, make sure that the pan fits the size of the ring on the stove; if the pan is too small, a lot of energy is wasted.

-          Choose energy efficient appliances.

-          Take your own shopping bags for your groceries instead of relying on plastic shopping bags from the store

-          Rather than sitting on the couch after a meal, turn off the television and get outside to plant some shrubs and trees. You can help reduce your energy usage, “green” the environment and get fitter all at the same time! 

The big picture

The energy costs of supplying food don’t just start and end in the household kitchen. The production of food – from the farm right up to the table – requires energy. According to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the total carbon footprint of the United Kingdom is 659 million tones CO2. Of this, the food industry (including food production and distribution as well as retailing) accounts for about 17% (111 M tones).

This includes carbon emissions from the production of foods, transportation and distribution charges, energy use in offices and buildings, energy costs for refrigeration and other storage requirements, waste management, business travel and even employee commuting costs.

Energy saving measures, such as the more efficient use of energy as well as energy saving devices, are being used by industry to reduce the carbon footprint. Electricity usage for example can be reduced by switching to low energy lighting, using cold air retrieval systems to recirculate air and reduce the costs associated with air conditioning, natural refrigerant solutions, more efficient distribution systems and self generated energy (solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy production). CO2 emissions that can’t be solved by energy saving measures are addressed by other solutions.

One way to address the problem is by “carbon offsetting” which looks at opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions- for instance by switching to biofuels or planting trees, avoiding deforestation, industrial gas sequestration, renewable energy and even capturing the methane emissions from livestock.

Livestock production 

Animal proteins play an important role by offering a source of high quality protein as well as several key nutrients, including iron and zinc, which are often in short supply in peoples diets. Yet like other methods of food production, the production of animal foods requires energy consumption in relation to the direct effects of production as well as the costs of producing livestock feed and land usage.

A 2006 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) looked at the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the production of livestock. The report estimated that 18% of GHG emissions could be accounted for by livestock production. This figure is higher than previous estimates because the FAO used a different method of estimating emissions which included all aspects of livestock production – feed production (including fertilizer usage, deforestation and pasture degradation), animal production (enteric fermentation and nitrous oxide emissions from manure) and CO2 emissions via the transportation and distribution chain.

The livestock industry has been working with governments to reduce the environmental effects of livestock production by:

-          Improving the quality and digestibility of feed. Healthy animals on good quality feed have lower GHG emission intensity

-          managing herds to reduce the number of unproductive animals

-          making sure that animals are healthy

-          adding substances to feeds reduce methane emission by cattle

Early studies in Australia, New Zealand and Europe show that these efforts are leading to reductions in GHG emissions.

The future

A lot of time and effort is being directed towards the effects of our current lifestyles and consumption habits on our environment. Increased information and education will intensify awareness and action in this important area. Climate change and GHGs are still relatively young sciences and there is an urgent need for continued research efforts and reliable data to ensure that strategies to address the problem are correctly targeted so that our footprints in time won’t have adverse effects on the living standards of future generations.

Reference

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (2006) Carbon footprint of electricity generation p 268

World Energy Council Report 2004 Comparison of energy systems using life cycle assessment

FAO (2006) Livestock’s Long Shadow

World Business Council for Sustainable Development www.wbcsd.org.