Low carbon diet
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A low carbon diet refers to making lifestyle choices to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from energy use.[1] More specifically, a low carbon diet refers to making choices about eating that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), an idea cultivated by Bon Appetit Management Company in 2007[2] as a response to estimates that the U.S. food system is responsible for at least 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases.[3] This estimate is low, as it counts only direct sources of GHGe. Indirect sources such as U.S. demand for products grown overseas are not counted in the 20 percent figure. A low carbon diet minimizes the emissions released from the production, packaging, processing, transport, preparation and waste of food. Major tenets of a low carbon diet include eating less meat and cheese, eating food grown locally and seasonally, eating less processed and packaged foods and reducing waste from food by proper portion size, recycling or composting.[2]
[edit] Background on diet and greenhouse gas emissions
The U.S. food system emits four of the greenhouse gases associated with climate change: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons.[4] The burning of fossil fuels (such as oil and gasoline) to power vehicles that transport food for long distances by air, ship, truck and rail releases carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary gas responsible for global warming. Methane gas (CH4) is 23 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and is a byproduct of livestock production and landfills.[5] Nitrous oxide (N2O) is 200 times more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide and is emitted as a result of over-tilling and excessive irrigation practices.[4] Finally, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are emitted from mechanical refrigerating and freezing mechanisms – both staples in food shipment and storage.[6]
[edit] High carbon and low carbon food choices
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Certain foods require more fossil fuel inputs than others, making it possible to go on a low carbon diet and reduce one’s carbon footprint by choosing foods that need less fossil fuel and therefore emit less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
[edit] Livestock production
Beef and dairy are particularly high in their levels of greenhouse gas emissions because feed (usually corn or soy beans) must first be grown, irrigated, processed and transported before the animals can be fed, processed, transported and cooked. Additionally, 37 percent of all anthropogenic methane, comes from livestock production, generated by the digestive system of ruminants such as cows, sheep and goats.[7] Meat-heavy diets have a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions; it is estimated that livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.[7] The simplest way to reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the diet is to eat less beef, lamb and cheese, or eliminate them altogether.
[edit] Distance traveled and method of transit
Transport of food across great distances of land or sea in high speed or refrigerated ships or airplanes is another major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the food industry. Growing food only accounts for 20 percent of the energy required for many food products, for irrigation, chemical use and mechanization of farm equipment; transportation and processing account for the other 80 percent.[8] Ways to reduce the climate-change impact associated with long-distance and energy-inefficient transport of food include having an edible garden, shopping at farmers' markets, belonging to a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm, shopping at stores that source from local farmers, eating less exotic fruits that are transported by air and eating less processed food. What fruits constitute “exotic” depends on where you are eating them. A pineapple has to be flown to port and then shipped in a refrigerated container if eaten in Minnesota, but it is a local product if consumed in Hawaii. Seafood that has been frozen at sea is a lower carbon choice than seafood that is delivered fresh. Regionally-caught and seasonal fish are an exception to this rule of thumb. A locavore describes a person attempting to eat a diet consisting of foods harvested from within a 100-mile radius.
[edit] Processing, packaging and waste
Highly processed foods such as granola bars come in individual packaging, demanding high energy inputs and resulting in a lot of packaging waste. These products contribute up to a third of total energy inputs for food consumption, as their ingredients are shipped from all over, processed, packaged, trucked to storage, then transported to retail outlets. Bottled water is another example of a highly packaged, wasteful food product. It is estimated that Americans throw away 40 million plastic water bottles every day, and bottled water is often shipped trans-continentally. Carbonated water must be chilled and kept under pressure during storage and transport so as to keep the carbon dioxide dissolved. This factor contributes greater energy usage for products shipped longer distances. Drinking purified tap water is a lower carbon choice.
[edit] Low carbon diet for restaurants and food service on an industrial scale
The food service industry is beginning to take large-scale action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bon Appetit Management Company is an onsite restaurant company offering full food service management to corporations, universities and specialty retail venues in 400 cafes in 28 states. Their Low Carbon Diet program, unveiled on Earth Day 2007, has pledged to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of each of their cafes by 25 percent in three years or less.[2] This will be accomplished by reducing the use of beef by 25 percent, sourcing all meat and poultry from North America, eliminating air-freighted seafood species within two years, sourcing nearly all vegetables and non-tropical fruits from North America, purchasing local as a first preference, serving only domestic bottled water, reducing food waste and auditing the energy efficiency of kitchen equipment. Additionally, Bon Appetit Management Company will introduce a carbon point system so that diners can calculate the impact of their personal food choices and make knowledgeable adjustments to their own diet.[1] This is an example of a business addressing their carbon emissions by tackling pollution from the source rather than buying carbon offsets on a path to become carbon neutral.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Stacie Stukin, “The Low Carbon Diet,” Time Magazine, Oct. 30, 2006
- ^ a b c Randy Hall, “Low Carbon Diet' Aims to Take Bite Out of Global Warming,” Cybercast News Service, April 18, 2007
- ^ 20% of GHGe from food industry
- ^ a b STAT saying that those four are emitted
- ^ “Sources and Emissions: Methane,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Jun. 2, 2006.
- ^ CFC STAT
- ^ a b H. Steinfeld, et al., “Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options,” Livestock, Environment and Development (2006).
- ^ Danielle Murray, “Oil and Food: A Rising Security Challenge,” Earth Policy Institute, May 9, 2005
