Potential contributions of food consumption patterns to climate change

ANNIKA CARLSSON-KANYAMA , ALEJANDRO D GONZÁLEZ

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION

AMER SOC CLINICAL NUTRITION

Lugar: Maryland, EE.UU.; Año: 2009 vol. 89 p. 1704 - 1709

0002-9165

Anthropogenic warming is caused mainly by emissions of greenhousegases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrousoxide, with agriculture as a main contributor for the latter 2 gases.Other parts of the food system contribute carbon dioxide emissionsthat emanate from the use of fossil fuels in transportation, processing,retailing, storage, and preparation. Food items differ substantiallywhen GHG emissions are calculated from farm to table. A recentstudy of ’20 items sold in Sweden showed a span of 0.4 to 30 kgCO2 equivalents/kg edible product. For protein-rich food, such aslegumes, meat, fish, cheese, and eggs, the difference is a factor of 30with the lowest emissions per kilogram for legumes, poultry, andeggs and the highest for beef, cheese, and pork. Large emissions forruminants are explained mainly by methane emissions from entericfermentation. For vegetables and fruits, emissions usually are 2.5kg CO2 equivalents/kg product, even if there is a high degree ofprocessing and substantial transportation. Products transported byplane are an exception because emissions may be as large as forcertain meats. Emissions from foods rich in carbohydrates, such aspotatoes, pasta, and wheat, are ,1.1 kg/kg edible food. We suggestthat changes in the diet toward more plant-based foods, toward meatfrom animals with little enteric fermentation, and toward foodsprocessed in an energy-efficient manner offer an interesting andlittle explored area for mitigating climate change.