We know that how we eat affects the planet. Washington Post recently reported of a study that has provided us with a new guide on what the exact environmental consequences are of consuming crops, livestock and seafood.
Researchers collected data on food production and its impacts on the planet. They specifically looked at disturbances to wild-animal habitats, water use and pollution, and contribution to the planet warming.
The study was published in the journal Nature Sustainability. This is the journal which examined nearly 99 percent of all food production on land and sea to report to the United Nations in 2017.
Why is the study important?
The study aims to help us evaluate what we eat and recognise how our dietary habits have direct results on the Earth.
How did the study work?
The researchers focused on the food industry’s impact on ecology.
They looked at the displacing of ecosystems for cropland, destroying seafloor habitat with fishing equipment, the water used by crops and livestock, the nutrient pollution of waterways due to fertiliser and fecal matter, greenhouse gas emissions from farming machinery and boat engines, production of fertilisers and pesticides, and livestock flatulence and manure.
The researchers left out food produced in home gardens and by hunters, as well as nonfood crops like coffee, tea and tobacco.
The researchers also included the impact of the plants or animals used to feed livestock and fish, which increased the environmental impact these kinds of foods have.
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The different diets
But the study also found that pork may have even larger effects on the environment than beef. This was assessed when including the fact that large amounts of pig waste also end up polluting waterways.
The pollution that comes from animal waste and fertilisers also creates patches in waterways that have little or no dissolved oxygen.
Seafood
Rice, wheat and other crops
Rice and wheat were placed on the same level of impact as animal-based products such as cow milk and chicken meat. This is because of the extensive amount of water the grains require.
Rice and wheat are also grown and used in large quantities all around the world, which means they are more prone to disturbing natural habitats.
Palm and canola crops make widely-used cooking oils, placing their impacts at a similar level to those of some animal-based products.
Who is responsible?
The study found that there are five countries that account for half of the planet’s food systems: India, China, the United States, Brazil and Pakistan.
It was also discovered that some countries have bigger environmental impacts than others even though they are producing the same types of food.
For example, beef production in Brazil has a larger environmental impact than the U.S., but Brazil produces 10 percent less meat than the United States.
The study serves as a way for more of us, especially people in charge of policies, to consider ways in which we can reduce the environmental consequences of what we eat.
“There’s so many possible solutions to reducing the environmental footprint of food production,” Halpern says.
“We have created a huge menu for options of how to do that.”
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