Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

study:

Browsing
Food

Food Study: Vegan Product is the Second Largest Emitter

In a new study, scientists have calculated the greenhouse gas emissions of animal and plant-based foods. The study came to a surprising conclusion: the second largest emitter is a plant product.

All aspects of global food production together produce more than 17 billion tons of greenhouse gases every year. Of this, 57 percent goes to animal-based foods, 29 percent to plant-based ones. This is shown by a study that has just been published by Nature Food.

Beef is the main cause of greenhouse gases

Of all the foods examined, beef production was by far the largest contributor to greenhouse gases – with a share of 25 percent. Rice follows in second place with twelve percent. Rice is such a high source of emissions because when the rice fields are flooded, bacteria that produce methane are created.

Considering only the animal products, after the beef follow in this order:

cow milk
pork meat
chicken meat
For plant products, after rice, follow:

Wheat
sugar cane
Corn

South and Southeast Asia: Region with the highest emissions from food

According to the study, the regions with the most emissions related to food production are South and Southeast Asia. In addition, this region is the only one whose emissions are so high due to plant-based foods and not animal ones. Greenhouse gas emissions were highest in China, India and Indonesia. The reason for this is primarily the cultivation of rice.

With the study, the authors want to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through changed management. Conceivable measures are the reduction of fertilizer use and the use of tillage methods.

In addition, the scientists want to investigate how the food needs of a growing world population can be met while at the same time stopping deforestation.

According to the research team, part of which is based at the University of Illinois, this study is more detailed and comprehensive than comparable studies. Because the authors used data from 171 plants and 16 animal products from more than 200 countries.

In addition, they used computer models to calculate the amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide produced from different aspects of nutrition, including consumption and production.

One study author points out that it is important to find out which reduction targets make the most economic and ecological sense. “You want to do everything,” she says, “but you can’t do everything at the same time.”

Utopia says: This study shows once again that we have to reduce greenhouse gases and that a change in diet makes sense for this. Although rice is mentioned here as the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, a balanced plant-based diet can reduce a lot of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Study: This is How Much Greenhouse Gas Vegans Save

Anyone who eats vegan does something for the climate – and not a little: An ecologist from Oxford University has calculated how much greenhouse gas a single vegan person saves each year. The amount corresponds to several flights.

The meat industry is one of the most polluting sectors of all – this has been known for a long time. Livestock breeding and animal husbandry cause high greenhouse gas emissions, and an extremely large amount of agricultural land is lost for animal feed and animal farms. No wonder, then, that a diet without meat, milk, eggs and other animal products is more sustainable.

How much the vegan lifestyle actually brings, however, may surprise many. In 2019, the ecologist Joseph Poore from the British Oxford University calculated for the Spiegel magazine how many greenhouse gases a vegan in Germany is responsible for per year.

Vegans save eight flights

According to Poore, every person in Europe produces an average of eleven tons of greenhouse gases every year. Anyone who lives vegan saves two tons every year, including 670 kilograms of CO2. According to Der Spiegel, two tons of greenhouse gases correspond to about eight economy class flights between London and Berlin.

In his calculation, Poore assumed, among other things, that the production of vegan food requires significantly less agricultural land. Plants and trees that bind carbon dioxide can grow on the area, which is free thanks to Veganer:innen.

It is worth giving up animal products

The British ecologist and his colleagues published a comprehensive study on the subject last year. For the analysis, the research team evaluated data from 40,000 farms in 119 countries. According to the study, giving up meat and dairy has the biggest impact on our carbon footprint.

Even the animal products that have the least impact on the environment still cause more environmental degradation than the most unsustainable vegetables and grains. (More details from the study here).

The current calculation of the greenhouse gas savings of vegans shows once again why it is worth eating fewer or no animal products. However, for those who are used to eating a lot of meat or dairy products, the transition can be difficult.

Keep Reading
By