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%.
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.
It’s a useful tool, but you are correct that everything is overwhelmingly dominated by primary use of fossil fuels.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
I didn’t realise sheep farted so much!
Why in fuck would you oversimplify to that extent? Clearly many factors matter when purchasing food.
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