Food for thought - Thoughtful food
Hello again. This is my second blog on climate issues. This time it is about food - such an enormous topic, that I can only touch on some of the most important issues. Those of you reading this will probably have watched the BBC programme this week on 'Meat: a threat to our planet'. Before going any further, it is fair to say that this programme mainly highlighted meat and dairy production in the USA and not the UK (There have been many comments/a backlash from the UK meat industry). I will be exploring what some of the issues are in relation to food (agriculture) and global emissions, what problems are caused by food production and how some of these can be reduced. I will be drawing on the work of Mike Berners-Lee and The New Green Consumer Guide. To be honest, on a personal note, it is only recently that I have been trying to have a more plant-based diet and go meat and dairy-free as a result of gaining more awareness and knowledge about these issues. Some of you reading this will be way-ahead of me, so I would love to hear your comments.
So, from what I have read; food and agriculture have an enormous effect on global emissions at 23%. This is second only to the burning of fossil fuels. If you want to review a breakdown these figures in detail, they are available by economic sector, by type of gas, by country, per capita and more. The 23% of agriculture's contribution has been explored in detail. According to Berners-Lee, 16% of this is related to deforestation for farm animals and the use of fossil fuel as fertiliser and for agriculture. Of course agriculture cannot be discussed without considering water. Agriculture accounts for 70% of water use worldwide. A very useful up to date report from the UK details this issue; Agriculture's impacts on water availability.
As you would expect, there is a great variation in the amount of food we grow and the amount an average person needs. I was a little surprised to learn that, in terms of calories per person per day required, N. America grows 8x more, Europe and Latin America 4x more and Sub-Saharan Africa 1.5x more than is needed (Berners-Lee, 2019, p.12-13). Worryingly, he goes on to explain what actually happens to the food that is produced. There is an amount that doesn't get harvested, excess production (supply exceeding demand) or loss due to harvesting or storage inefficiencies or it gets thrown away because of excessive quality standards. Even after the kilocalories of food that are lost or wasted, an enormous amount is fed to animals and a lot goes towards biofuels. According to Berners-Lee, globally, more than enough of every nutrient is produced for everyone. The main problems are related to inequality and access. The other issue is choice, which is affected by education, culture, mental health and personal taste. Many of these are factors we can do something about if we want to.
There is so much advice around what to eat and what not eat these days, that it is hard to know what to do. Of course, this does depend on what your aims are. Luckily there is a lot of information about reducing our carbon footprint, particularly in terms of what we eat and where it comes from. As consumers we are very powerful in this respect and we can generally find out if food is flown half-way round the world or is being forced to grow out of season. If your aim is to become more healthy, then there is a lot of information available. However, if you are cutting out or down on meat and dairy and going vegan, then you need to be aware of the supplements you should take. One of the other main issues is whether the food you choose is ethically produced (is the Amazon rainforest being ransacked for your food?) or it is taking away someone's livelihood to produce your lovely avocado or almond milk? This interesting article by Wilkinson (Consultant Neonatologist & Professor of Ethics at the University of Oxford, 2019) discusses the ethical choices we make when choosing what to eat.
So, there is a lot to think about when choosing what you eat, from environmental, ethical and health viewpoints; Food for Thought/Thoughtful Food!
Please let me know your thoughts on the blog and what motivates your food choices.
The Plog Blog by Plogart Pat
