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How has the desert climate and nomadic culture influenced Nigerien cuisine?

Introduction: Nigerien cuisine

Nigerien cuisine is as diverse as the country’s landscape, with influences from the Saharan desert and the West African savannah. It is a blend of traditional recipes, spices, and cooking techniques that have been passed down through generations. The cuisine is characterized by its use of grains, vegetables, and meat, with a unique blend of flavors and textures.

The importance of the desert climate

The desert climate plays a crucial role in Nigerien cuisine, as it has shaped the way people have sourced, prepared, and consumed food. The aridity of the desert makes it difficult to grow crops, but the region is home to a variety of drought-resistant plants and animals that have been used in cooking for centuries. The desert also poses a challenge for preservation, as the hot and dry weather can spoil food quickly.

How the desert influenced the cuisine

The lack of water and fertile soil in the desert regions meant that people had to rely on hardy crops such as millet, sorghum, and rice. These grains are still a staple in Nigerien cuisine, and they are often ground into flour to make a variety of dishes such as fufu and tuwo. The scarcity of water also meant that people had to find alternative ways to cook food, resulting in methods such as smoking and drying. The use of spices such as ginger, cloves, and cinnamon helps to preserve the food and add flavor.

The role of nomadic culture in Nigerien cuisine

Nomadic culture has played a significant role in Nigerien cuisine, as it has influenced the way people prepare and consume food. Nomads often rely on the milk and meat of their livestock, and this has led to the creation of dishes such as fari masa (a pancake made with milk) and dambun nama (dried meat). Nomads also use a lot of herbs and spices in their cooking, such as cumin and coriander, which help to enhance the flavor of their food.

Traditional dishes and their ingredients

Some of the most popular dishes in Nigerien cuisine include jollof rice, maafe (a peanut stew), and tô (a porridge made from millet or sorghum). These dishes are often made with a blend of spices such as ginger, cumin, and chili pepper, along with vegetables and meat. Other traditional dishes include thieboudienne (a rice and fish dish), gari foto (a cassava dish), and kilishi (a form of dried meat).

Conclusion: The unique flavors of Nigerien cuisine

Nigerien cuisine is a reflection of the country’s diverse culture and landscape, with influences from the desert and nomadic lifestyle. Its use of grains, spices, and meat creates a unique blend of flavors and textures that are both savory and satisfying. Despite its challenges, Nigerien cuisine has been able to adapt and evolve over time, and it continues to be a source of pride for the people of Niger.

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Norway

How has the country’s geography and climate influenced Norwegian cuisine?

Introduction to Norwegian Cuisine

Norwegian cuisine is characterized by fresh and natural ingredients, such as fish, meat, berries, and vegetables. The traditional dishes are hearty and flavorful, often reflecting the country’s geography and climate. Norway’s long coastline, mountains, and forests have influenced the culinary traditions of the country, as well as its history and culture.

Geography of Norway

Norway is a long, narrow country located in northern Europe, spanning from the North Sea to the Arctic Ocean. Its geography is defined by a rugged coastline, fjords, mountains, and forests. The coastal areas are home to many fishing villages, while the inland regions are characterized by farming and hunting.

Climate in Norway

Norway has a cold and temperate climate, with significant regional variations. The coastal areas have milder winters and cooler summers than the inland regions, where the climate is more continental. The northern parts of the country experience long, dark winters and short, bright summers. The climate has influenced the types of crops that can be grown in Norway, as well as the fishing and hunting traditions.

Traditional Norwegian Ingredients

Norwegian cuisine relies heavily on fish and seafood, such as salmon, cod, herring, and shrimp. Meat, especially lamb and game, is also an important part of the diet, as well as vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Berries, such as lingonberries and cloudberries, are used in desserts and jams, while dairy products like cheese and butter are staples in Norwegian cooking.

Influences on Norwegian Cuisine

Norwegian cuisine has been influenced by several factors, such as the country’s history, foreign trade, and cultural exchange. The Vikings introduced many of the food traditions that still exist today, such as the use of fermented fish and meat. The Hanseatic League, a trading alliance between German cities and Norway, brought new ingredients and spices to the country. Later, the influence of French and Italian cuisine became evident in the Norwegian cooking style.

Regional Variations in Norwegian Food

Norway has several regional variations in its cuisine, reflecting its diverse geography and cultural heritage. The coastal areas are known for their seafood dishes, such as fish soups and stews, while the inland regions focus on meat and dairy products. The northern parts of the country have a strong Sami influence, with dishes like reindeer stew and smoked fish. The western parts of Norway, known as Fjord Norway, have a unique culinary tradition based on preserved fish and lamb.

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Lifestyle

Pets and The Climate: Cats and Dogs Cause so Much CO2 – and What That Means For You

The negative ecological balance of air and car travel as well as meat consumption is well known. But dogs and cats also have a significant impact on the carbon footprint of their owners.

What does carbon footprint mean?

Global warming should be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius
Binding target values ​​for the emission of greenhouse gases, which are primarily responsible for global warming, were laid down for the first time in the Kyoto Protocol on December 11, 1997. In addition to CO2, other greenhouse gases are listed here, such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). Since the Kyoto Protocol expired in 2020, a new climate protection agreement was introduced in order to be able to continue pursuing the international climate protection process after 2020. In 2015, at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, 196 countries agreed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius — if possible below 1.5 degrees Celsius. In November 2002 the Glasgow Climate Conference (COP 26) took place and ended with the Glasgow Climate Pact. Here the 1.5 °C target was again emphasized and for the first time reference was made to phasing out unrestricted coal-fired power generation and to the abolition of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels.

What is the carbon footprint?

The carbon footprint indicates the amount of greenhouse gases released by a specific activity, process or action. This means that every product also has a CO2 footprint, which is made up of the sum of emissions that come together through manufacture, use, recycling and disposal. But the CO2 emissions can also be determined for activities such as air travel, car trips, hotel accommodation or events. The carbon footprint accounts for about 60% of the ecological footprint. This indicates how sustainably a person, a company or a country deals with global resources. According to Welthungerhilfe, the world’s population would need 1.7 earths to cover the need for resources. Earth Overshoot Day, the annual deadline when all ecological resources of a year are used up, was already reached on July 27th in 2021.

Calculate your own carbon footprint
The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) provides a carbon footprint calculator on its website that you can use to calculate your personal carbon footprint. The Federal Environment Agency also offers a CO2 quick check, which also takes pet ownership into account, among other things. Questions about the following areas of life are asked here:
Your shopping behavior for fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, meat and fish
The proportion of organic or fair trade products you consume
How often you throw away food
How many car trips, plane trips and cruises you take and how often you use public transport.
What type of heating and water heating you use in your house or apartment
The standard and size of your house or apartment
How many people live in the household
Which energy efficiency class your household appliances have and how many small appliances you own
The type and frequency of laundry washing and drying
The money spent on clothes and shoes, leisure, consumer electronics, furniture, restaurant visits, overnight stays away from home, consumer goods and pets.

Why do pets also have a carbon footprint?

So far, there are only a few studies that look at the environmental impact of a dog or cat’s life. In 2020, the Technical University (TU) Berlin examined the entire life cycle of a dog in this regard and identified food, urine and faeces in particular as the main influencing factors. The environmental impact increases with the size, weight and lifespan of the dog. Animal and plant life are negatively affected by urine and the feces of the fur friends can make the trees more susceptible to diseases. For a dog weighing 15 kilograms that lives for 13 years, an average of 1000 kg of faeces and almost 200 liters of urine could be determined. With regard to dog food, the greatest burden was caused by the high proportion of beef and poultry and the packaging materials.

Are there too many dogs and cats?

Many pet owners may wonder why their beloved four-legged friend causes so much CO2. It is not only the CO2 emissions of a single animal that is decisive, but the large number of pets. According to the Federal Environment Agency, the number of dogs in Germany has more than doubled within 20 years. In addition, the Industry Association for Pet Supplies (IVH e.V.) states that 15.7 million cats and 10.7 million dogs lived in Germany in 2020, the number of which has most likely increased further in the course of the pandemic. 47% of all households had at least one pet. Justifications that dogs ensure more exercise for their owners and can encourage children to take more responsibility should not be included in the considerations.

The feed has the most harmful effect on the climate

Dog and cat food is largely based on meat and meat by-products. According to a report by Galileo TV, which documents a long-term experiment with vegan dog food in cooperation with the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, meat-based dog food accounts for 90% of a dog’s carbon footprint. Around 1 million tons of meat are consumed annually for the 26 million dogs and cats in Germany. It would theoretically be possible to feed dogs on a purely plant-based basis, as Volker Wilke from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover explains in the article. This would reduce CO2 emissions for wet food by 35% and for dry food by as much as 70%. So far, no adverse effects have been observed with feed made from peas, lentils, sweet potatoes or soya supplemented with vitamins and amino acids. However, the changeover should be carried out under expert supervision so that the dogs do not suffer any organ damage or muscle atrophy. However, the origin of the vegan feed is also important. Because if the feed is made with soy from Brazil or other countries of origin, it can be much more harmful to the climate than dry feed made in this country.

What is the life cycle assessment of dogs, cats and horses?

With the provocative book title “Time to eat the dog?” (Is It Time to Eat the Dog?), two New Zealand authors caught the attention of many pet owners in 2009. Is the ecological paw print really that bad?

No more than 2 tons of CO2 per year

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), every inhabitant of the earth should not cause more than two tons of CO2 per year, so that the climate would not be further burdened. The amount of two tons of CO2 corresponds to the capacity that the earth could absorb naturally. The actual values ​​significantly exceed these two tons, depending on the country. According to Statista, in 2019 an average of around 30.68 tons of CO2 was produced per capita in Qatar, around 14 tons in the USA and around 7.8 tons in Germany.

What is the carbon footprint of dogs and cats?

Researchers at the Technical University (TU) Berlin have examined the life cycle assessment of dogs. Among other things, the production of feed and the consequential damage to the environment caused by urine and faeces were included. The result shows that the popular pet causes significant amounts of CO2. For example, a dog weighing 30 kilograms produces around 1,050 kilograms of CO2 a year, as reported by the Tagesspiegel. Thus, with just over a tonne of CO2, this dog causes about the same amount as a one-way flight from Berlin to Washington. With an estimated lifespan of 18 years, the dog’s CO2 emissions would increase to 19 tons.

The life cycle assessment for cats was determined in 2019 by the Swiss eco-balance institute ESU-Services. In addition to feed and environmental pollution, domestic conditions such as heat loss when installing a heat flap were also taken into account. According to this, a cat weighing 4.2 kilograms produces about the same amount of CO2 per year as a 1,165-kilometer car journey, which roughly corresponds to the distance from Berlin to Venice.

Horses are climate sinners too

A study examined all important effects on the life cycle assessment of pets. This included, for example, feeding, housing, faeces, trips by car to the veterinarian or even going for a walk, as well as all necessary purchases for the pets. The authors compared the results with the environmental impact of a car trip. The results showed that horses had the worst environmental record. According to the calculations, the annual cost of keeping a horse corresponded to an annual car mileage of 3700 km. Overall, the scientists came to the conclusion that the larger the pet, the greater the environmental impact.

This is how you can optimize your pet’s carbon footprint

Remove legacies left by four-legged friends

Dogs defecate and urinate when they go for a walk. A researcher determined in 2017 that the dogs and cats kept in the USA alone produce a good five million feces a year. It is not possible to get rid of the urine, but you should collect the dog poop in a waste bag and dispose of it. Thus, the environment is less polluted, because the amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen and heavy metals contained in the feces contribute to freshwater eutrophication and freshwater poisoning. In addition, disposal companies have to collect less manure, which also saves CO2. Also against the background that the production of the manure collection bags is less harmful to the environment than the entry of manure into nature. At the same time, walkers are happy when they are spared stepping into a dog pile.

Adjust the amount of feed as needed

Since many pets are overweight, CO2 can certainly also be saved with regard to the amount of feed. Keep your pet at a healthy weight and avoid overfeeding. As a dog owner, you should also consider that the production of dog food also requires factory farming, because dog food rarely comes from organic farms.

Reconsider BARF feeding

Biologically appropriate raw feeding, or BARF for short, contains 75% high-quality raw meat and is therefore a much more climate-damaging form of feeding than ordinary wet food. This doubles the CO2 footprint. The BARF feeding is considered to be particularly adapted to the needs of the dog as a descendant of the wolf. In the meantime, however, the opinion is becoming more and more widespread that dogs have adapted their digestive system to carbohydrate-rich food in the course of their development and that such a high protein intake is therefore no longer absolutely necessary.

A simple calculation illustrates the dimensions: A meat ration of around 300 – 500 grams per day is recommended for a medium-sized dog weighing 30 kg. This adds up to 150 – 185 kilograms per year over the year – per dog. And this does not include meat consumption for cats.

Insect-based dog food as an alternative

The latest trends include food cans that contain insects as a protein source. Insect food producer Tenetrio reports that insect protein-based dog food contains all the amino acids that dogs need. In addition, dogs are very good at splitting and utilizing the insect protein. A study that examined compound feed containing larvae of the black soldier fly came to the conclusion that the feed was very well tolerated by the dogs even if they suddenly switched. However, the price here is still far higher than for dog food containing meat, which is due to the high production costs.

Vegan dog food possible, but expensive

Feeding a dog meat-free sounds strange at first. It is also not in line with a dog’s natural diet and requires some additives to keep the dog from becoming ill. In fact, it is possible to provide the dog with all the nutrients, even if no animal protein is included. Vegan dog food consists of vegetable protein in the form of legumes such as lentils or lupins, supplemented with vegetables, millet, taurine, L-carnitine, iron, minerals, vitamins or algae. The disadvantage, however, is that the price is currently three times higher than that of conventional dog food. In addition, the current study situation does not yet allow an unrestricted recommendation for special phases of the dog’s life, such as growth or age.

Cats are more difficult to change their food

So far, there are hardly any studies that have examined the effects of vegan diets in cats. The option remains to choose a feed that contains more animal by-products or to offer more dry feed.

Conclusion: Every hobby entails a certain amount of CO2 emissions. Whether it’s a pet or the sports car in front of the front door. Here you have to decide for yourself where you see savings potential. Several pets, a lot of air travel, high meat consumption and cars with high fuel consumption are perhaps too much of a good thing. If you keep a dog as a pet, you can reduce your dog’s CO2 footprint by consistently collecting the droppings in poop bags and by changing the diet.

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Cooking Tips

Coconut Milk: Healthy Nutritional Values or Exotic Climate Killer?

Coconut milk has become indispensable as a vegan alternative to cream or for Asian cuisine. But is she healthy? We reveal more about their nutritional values – and the climate balance.

Coconut milk is a popular ingredient in Asian recipes such as curries or soups. Due to the high fat content of the “milk”, coconut milk is an excellent vegan substitute for cream or crème fraîche. However, it is not much healthier – and cultivation and transport are also ecologically questionable.

Coconut milk nutritional values: high in fat and calories

If you only look at the nutritional values of coconut milk, it is no healthier than cream made from cow’s milk. That’s because it’s high in saturated fat, which is considered to be rather unhealthy.

A comparison of the nutritional values of 100 grams of coconut milk and cream (30 percent fat):

Calories: 230 grams (cream: 280 grams)
Fat: 24 grams (cream: 30 grams)
of which saturated fat: 21 grams (cream: 18 grams)
Carbohydrates: 6 grams (cream: 3 grams)
of which sugar: 3 grams (cream: 3 grams)
Egg white: 2 grams (cream: 2 grams)
Fiber: 2 grams (cream: 0 grams)
Coconut milk is particularly rich in biotin. It is important for enzyme synthesis and metabolism. The potassium content is also not to be scoffed at: With 379 milligrams per 100 grams, you can cover a good ten percent of your daily potassium requirement.

Coconut milk also contains the following minerals: calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus.

Coconut milk also contains, among other things:

vitamin C
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B1

Not so healthy: Coconut milk and saturated fat

Coconut milk has a little less calories and fat than 30 percent cream. The components of carbohydrates, protein and fiber, on the other hand, make little difference. But what makes coconut milk less healthy is the type of fat it contains: saturated fat. Not all of the fats contained in the cream are saturated, but in coconut milk they are.

Since saturated fats are considered unhealthy according to many studies, the World Health Organization recommends consuming these fats in moderation.

Coconut Milk Cultivation and Transport: Concerns for the Environment

According to the Okotest, every second coconut product contains harmful substances such as mineral oil, plasticizers or chlorate. In addition, coconut products have a very bad CO2 balance due to the long transport routes. And that’s not all: the growing conditions for coconuts are more than critical because they are being grown on more and more land, with more fertilizer and increasingly in monocultures. This effect is intensified by the fact that the coconut palm grows quite slowly and is not very productive.

It is interesting, however, that coconut milk has a better overall CO2 balance than animal cream. 100 grams of coconut milk emits 0.05 kilos of CO2, and 0.43 kilos for cream.

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Food

Exotic Fruits: Not Only the Climate Balance is Problematic

Exotic fruits are part of the standard range of every supermarket. Here’s why you should avoid the sweet tropical fruits.

You can buy pineapple, mango and Co. at relatively low prices in almost every German supermarket and discounter. A central ecological problem of the exotic fruits is obvious: the plants come from tropical areas. Accordingly, the fruits are grown in distant countries and imported to Germany. They have to cover long transport routes and consequently have a bad ecological balance.

The CO2 emissions caused by transport get into the atmosphere and continue to drive global warming there. But the contribution to the climate crisis is not the only downside of tropical fruits.

Exotic fruits: list

The following types of fruit are among the best-known tropical fruits that you will find in German supermarkets:

Acai
acerola
pineapple
avocado
bananas
dates
figs
goji berries
pomegranate
guava
jackfruit
persimmon
prickly pear
star fruit / carambola
kiwi
lychee
mango
mangosteen
papaya
Passion Fruit / Maracuja
Pitaya / dragon fruit
Tamarillo / Tree Tomato
tamarind

Exotic fruits: monocultures and pesticides

Farmers grow many exotic fruits in monocultures. This not only damages the structure of the soil, but also makes the plants more susceptible to pests. Farmers are therefore increasingly relying on chemical-synthetic pesticides. Many of these pesticides are suspected of being carcinogenic. Occupational health and safety measures are often neglected.

Machines sometimes still spray the environmental toxins when workers are still in the field. In doing so, you regularly come into direct contact with the harmful substance. And even without direct skin contact, there can be health consequences: according to Deutschland Funk Kultur, harmful pesticides are regularly sprayed in large quantities on pineapple plantations in Cartagena, a port city in Costa Rica. As a result, students in a school near the plantations regularly complained of headaches, skin rashes, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Scientists confirmed that the pesticides were not only found on the plantation itself, but also in dust, hair from livestock and human saliva, among other things, and could be detected.

Rainstorms also ensure that pesticides are flushed from the plantations into water bodies. There they harm animals and plants and ultimately contaminate the groundwater. In communities around the plantations, it is therefore extremely dangerous to health to drink water from the tap.

It is not uncommon for rainforest areas to be cleared for plantations or sensitive ecosystems to be invaded. This promotes the extinction of species, as many animal and plant species lose their habitat.

Tropical fruits: working conditions on plantations

In addition to a lack of occupational safety, there are other labor and human rights violations on tropical fruit plantations. According to an Oxfam report reporting on the cultivation of bananas and pineapples in Ecuador and Costa Rica,…

Employers deliberately do not inform their workers about their rights.
some employees do not receive a copy of their employment contract.
workers have to work up to twelve hours at a time on the plantation to receive the daily minimum wage, which actually applies to an eight-hour day.
pregnancy is often a reason for dismissal without notice.
Employees usually have no social security.
immigrants who do not yet have their own apartment and work in the fields have to live together in a very small space.
Employers do not offer medical care in the event of pesticide poisoning or work-related accidents.

Exotic fruits at cheap prices

Precarious working conditions, environmental toxins, deforestation and long transport routes are behind the relatively inexpensive exotic fruits in European supermarkets. Or in short: exploited people and an exploited nature.

According to Oxfam, German supermarkets should take responsibility for these abuses. After all, it is the German corporations that want to keep lowering the price from suppliers in order to be able to score points with customers with cheap prices. Farmers in the country of origin have to bow to this aggressive price policy.

You can do that!

In order not to support the abuses surrounding the cultivation of exotic fruits, you as a consumer can use:in your purchasing power:

It is best if you eat tropical fruits in moderation. For a good ecological balance, you should prefer regional and seasonal fruit varieties. You can find out which fruit is available when from German cultivation in our seasonal calendar.
Pay attention to organic certified goods when buying! In this way you can be sure that farmers have avoided chemical-synthetic pesticides during cultivation. Seals with particularly strict requirements are Demeter and Naturland.
When buying, also look for trustworthy seals that guarantee compliance with ecological and social standards. You should not only pay attention to the organic, but also to the Fairtrade seal.
Fruits with the Rainforest Alliance seal are also subject to far-reaching social and ecological requirements. Although the seal with the green frog cannot quite keep up with the strict Fairtrade seal or the EU organic seal, it still stands for high social and ecological standards.

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Food

These 6 Foods are the Worst for the Climate

What does nutrition have to do with climate protection? Lots: certain foods are bad for the climate because of how they are produced. We present the six most climate-damaging foods and show how you can make your diet more climate-friendly.

1. Butter

Even if it is a vegetarian product, butter is considered the number one climate killer. According to the Öko-Test, around 24 kilograms of CO2 equivalents are emitted for the conventional production of one kilogram of butter. A CO2 equivalent indicates how much a certain mass of a greenhouse gas (e.g. methane) contributes to global warming. To do this, it is compared with the same amount of CO2. Thus, the value of the CO2 equivalent describes the share of a product in the greenhouse effect.

The climate-damaging effect of butter is due in particular to the fact that, according to Öko-Test, around 18 liters of milk are required for one kilogram of butter. This in turn means that many cows have to be kept. A large amount of greenhouse gases are already released during the production of the required animal feed. In addition, cows emit methane gas during digestion, which is even more harmful to the climate than CO2.

2. Beef

Beef is the most climate-damaging type of meat and, with around 13 kilograms of CO2 equivalents, has a CO2 balance four times as high as that of poultry or pork. This is also due to the way the cattle are kept. The value is only lower than that of butter because beef cattle live significantly shorter lives than dairy cows. Another disadvantage: in terms of water consumption, beef ranks third after cocoa and coffee.

3. More from the cow: cheese and cream

Other foods, for the production of which cattle have to be kept, also have a drastic effect on the climate. On average, 8.5 CO2 equivalents are required for the production of cheese and 7.6 for cream. In order to improve these values at least a little, it is advisable to use products with a low fat content. Because the higher the fat content of a dairy product, the more milk is needed to make it.

4. Vegan, but harmful to the climate: frozen fries

With 5.7 kilos of CO2 equivalents, a mostly even vegan product is in fourth place among the most climate-damaging foods. However, the reason for this is not the potatoes themselves, but the complex production of the fries, which have to be dried, deep-fried and frozen. A lot of energy is required for these processes. Incidentally, this also applies to dry powder for mashed potatoes, the production of which requires around 3.8 kilograms of CO2 equivalents.

However, you don’t have to do without fries and mashed potatoes completely, you can easily make both yourself. This is not only more climate-friendly, but also healthier.

5. Chocolate

As a popular sweet, chocolate is good for the soul, but very bad for the climate. 3.5 kilos of CO2 equivalents are caused for one kilogram of chocolate. Their climate-damaging effect is due to these two factors:

Chocolate often contains milk, the production of which is harmful to the climate due to the greenhouse gases released, as described above. More milk in the chocolate means more CO2.
In addition, chocolate products often contain palm oil. In many areas, rainforests are being cleared on a large scale to make way for palm oil plantations. The carbon that the rainforest had stored then escapes into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
In addition, chocolate consists largely of cocoa, which requires large amounts of water to produce. It takes up to 27,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cocoa beans, and there is around 1,700 liters of water in a bar of chocolate. Although this is not directly related to the climate, it is also an environmentally harmful factor.

To make chocolate a little more climate-friendly, you should buy chocolate products that contain little to no palm oil. Chocolate bars usually contain no palm oil, but you should take a closer look at other chocolate products. There are also many vegan chocolates that do not contain milk and therefore have a slightly better CO2 balance.

Another tip: It is advisable to buy chocolate and cocoa with fair trade certification. By doing so, you support fair trade, where farmers and workers in the production chain receive a fair wage.

6. Pork and Poultry

With around 3.4 CO2 equivalents, these meats are significantly more climate-friendly than beef, but they still occupy sixth place on our list. The reason for this is that pigs and chickens also need large areas and a lot of feed.

The feed is often imported, which means that large amounts of CO2 emissions are released during transport. In certain areas (e.g. in Brazil), large areas of rainforest are also cleared for the cultivation of fodder plants.

If you want to do something good for the climate, animals and the environment, you should reconsider your meat consumption and consider how you could reduce it. You don’t have to live vegetarian or vegan overnight if you still find it very difficult at the moment.

But you can slowly approach the topic, for example by having two to three vegetarian or vegan days a week or by preparing certain meals a day exclusively from plant-based products.

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Food

Organic Farming: That’s Why Organic is Active Climate Protection

Organic farming is an important building block in the fight against climate change. We explain why this is so and how the consumption of organic products can help.

Protecting the environment, people and animals in the long term: that is the goal of organic farming. But climate protection is also a goal to which Bio actively contributes. For example, healthy soil is not only important for healthy vegetables and fruit, it is also a valuable CO2 store. In organic farming, attention is therefore paid to varied crop rotations and humus build-up – both prerequisites for a healthy soil that binds gases that are harmful to the climate.

Chemical-synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that damage the agricultural soil in the long term are prohibited in organic farming. Organic farmers, on the other hand, use natural materials such as compost and also rely on agricultural methods that protect nature and the climate.

Pests are fought, for example, through the targeted use of natural enemies, the “beneficial ones”. This maintains biological diversity, ecological balance, water quality and soil fertility in equal measure. Ecological management also respects the well-being of the animals, because farmers pay attention to animal welfare when it comes to organic farming.

Compared to conventional agriculture, organic agriculture is much more careful with our soil and ecosystems and is therefore considered environmentally and climate-friendly.

Organic farming is active climate protection

The number one climate protector is healthy agricultural soil. Because healthy, humus-rich soils are enormously large CO2 stores. Agricultural land that is used carefully through organic farming contains significantly more humus – and this is particularly important for carbon sequestration. Numerous microorganisms and organic compounds that are responsible for storing CO2 live in the humus layer. The richer in humus a soil is, the more gases that affect the climate it binds.

Studies by the Thünen Institute have shown that organically farmed soils bind on average 10 percent more carbon than soils from conventional agriculture.

On average, 256 kg of carbon is stored per hectare of organic soil per year. Converted to the organic agricultural area in Germany, there are currently 1.5 million tons of CO2 savings annually. Organic farming is therefore clearly active climate protection!

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