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Overall impact of the 40 most produced foods on the environment: Difference between revisions
Overall impact of the 40 most produced foods on the environment (view source)
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Researching the matter may be a tremendous, easily biased and forever evoluting task, the spreadsheet below is thus here published to allow us, as consumers and climate conscious citizens, to take a first step towards the understanding of the complex “environmental impact” of various foods. This step may therefore allow us to realize that there is no systematic relationship between land use, CO2 emission, soil depletion or water use. For instance, the document challenges popular believes such as “dairy is better for the planet than meat” or ”sea food has less impact than meat”. The numbers confirming that dairy production would produce more than 2x CO2, and contribute 4x more to the eutrophisation of the soil than pig meat as well as that crustaceans would produce nearly 3x more C02 and contribute 2x more to the eutrophisation of the waters. | Researching the matter may be a tremendous, easily biased and forever evoluting task, the spreadsheet below is thus here published to allow us, as consumers and climate conscious citizens, to take a first step towards the understanding of the complex “environmental impact” of various foods. This step may therefore allow us to realize that there is no systematic relationship between land use, CO2 emission, soil depletion or water use. For instance, the document challenges popular believes such as “dairy is better for the planet than meat” or ”sea food has less impact than meat”. The numbers confirming that dairy production would produce more than 2x CO2, and contribute 4x more to the eutrophisation of the soil than pig meat as well as that crustaceans would produce nearly 3x more C02 and contribute 2x more to the eutrophisation of the waters. | ||
<u>Note</u> | |||
As it gathers data from worldwide sources, this spreadsheet is not a set answer which should drastically impact your diet. Depending on the region where you live and the farming practices which the product you buy supports, the numbers may greatly vary. | |||
== About the study == | |||
We will here be able to compare the overall CO2 emissions, the land use, the acidification<ref name=acid />, the eutrophisation<ref name=eutro /> as well as the water scarcity impacted by the 40 most produced foods in the world. These numbers, gathered from the largest database to date: 40,000 farms, across 119 countries include high impact industrials as well as small scale, organic or bio dynamic farms. | |||
This comparative spreadsheet is based on 2 documents included in the research study titled “[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987/ Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers]” published by J. Poore<ref>Zoologist from the School of Geography & Environment, The Queen's College& University of Oxford</ref> and T. Nemecek<ref>Agroecology and Environment specialist, Zurich, Switzerland</ref> in February 2019 (first publication June 1st 2018) in the american magazine <i>[https://www.sciencemag.org/ Science]</i>. | This comparative spreadsheet is based on 2 documents included in the research study titled “[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987/ Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers]” published by J. Poore<ref>Zoologist from the School of Geography & Environment, The Queen's College& University of Oxford</ref> and T. Nemecek<ref>Agroecology and Environment specialist, Zurich, Switzerland</ref> in February 2019 (first publication June 1st 2018) in the american magazine <i>[https://www.sciencemag.org/ Science]</i>. | ||
== Links & details == | |||
🔍📄[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987/tab-pdf/ Click link to read PDF article]<br> | 🔍📄[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987/tab-pdf/ Click link to read PDF article]<br> | ||
🔍📄[https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Estimated-global-variation-in-GHG-emissions-land-use-terrestrial-acidification_fig3_325532198/ Click link to have a look at the graph]<br> | 🔍📄[https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Estimated-global-variation-in-GHG-emissions-land-use-terrestrial-acidification_fig3_325532198/ Click link to have a look at the graph]<br> | ||
🔍📄[https://science.sciencemag.org/highwire/filestream/710905/field_highwire_adjunct_files/3/aaq0216_DataS2.xls/ Click link to download precise spreadsheet] | 🔍📄[https://science.sciencemag.org/highwire/filestream/710905/field_highwire_adjunct_files/3/aaq0216_DataS2.xls/ Click link to download precise spreadsheet] | ||
== Comparing the data == | == Comparing the data == | ||
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|GHG emissions<br>(kg CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent<ref>Including methane for instance</ref>) | |GHG emissions<br>(kg CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent<ref>Including methane for instance</ref>) | ||
|Land use<br>(m<sup>2</sup> year) | |Land use<br>(m<sup>2</sup> year) | ||
|Acidification<ref>The acidity of a soil is defined by its hydrogen potential (pH). Below a certain threshold (~ 6 on the pH scale), the soil is too acidic for most cultivated plants: it limits biological activity (fertility) and its structure is degraded. Indeed, acidity influences the uptake of nutrients and trace elements by a plant, as well as the presence of deep roots or earthworms that structure and aerate the soil.</ref><br>(kg SO2eq.<ref>soils or waters (ex: ocean acidification due to fish and crustacean water farming)</ref>) | |Acidification<ref name=acid>The acidity of a soil is defined by its hydrogen potential (pH). Below a certain threshold (~ 6 on the pH scale), the soil is too acidic for most cultivated plants: it limits biological activity (fertility) and its structure is degraded. Indeed, acidity influences the uptake of nutrients and trace elements by a plant, as well as the presence of deep roots or earthworms that structure and aerate the soil.</ref><br>(kg SO2eq.<ref>soils or waters (ex: ocean acidification due to fish and crustacean water farming)</ref>) | ||
|Eutrophisation<ref>Excessive intake of nutrients into the water, resulting in overgrowth, oxygen depletion and ecosystem imbalance. e.g. nitrogen + phosphorus</ref><br>(g PO2eq.) | |Eutrophisation<ref name=eutro>Excessive intake of nutrients into the water, resulting in overgrowth, oxygen depletion and ecosystem imbalance. e.g. nitrogen + phosphorus</ref><br>(g PO2eq.) | ||
|Use of water<br>(kL equivalent) | |Use of water<br>(kL equivalent) | ||
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== Notes == | == Notes == | ||