Climate-Friendly Foods

You’ve probably heard that driving and flying are major causes of climate change, but did you know that what we put on our plates matters too?

The foods we choose to eat can have substantial impact on the environment, as food production is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural processes arise from a variety of sources. These can include some of the more obvious sources, such as the emissions from farming equipment, but a larger portion of emissions actually comes from methane emissions from livestock, fertilizer, and deforestation: forests converted to grasslands, mangroves to aquaculture farms. By converting these spaces to various types of farms, the capacity of the land as a natural carbon sink (that is, an absorber of carbon from the air) is diminished, and instead, carbon is released.

Out of the broad categories of food, meat is the worst offender, making up about two-thirds of agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions per pound of food is the highest for beef, followed by lamb, shellfish, cheese, and fish. When assessing the amount of greenhouse gas emission per 1000 calories, shellfish is slightly higher than beef, followed by lamb, fish, and cheese.1 Therefore, cutting down on meat consumption can have substantial benefits for the environment.

This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to cut out meat from their diets. Shifting to more plant-based eating, such as eating beans rather than meat once a week, can make a big difference. Protein-rich foods such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils are good for the soil and do not require a lot of water to grow. Mushrooms, root vegetables, and nuts are some other examples of climate-friendly foods. Consuming more of these foods is not only healthy, but is also a great way to add more diversity of foods to your diet, as much of what we eat comes from a small number of crops and animals. They’re also a great way to save money, since beans and other veggie proteins cost less than meat and are shelf stable -- so they won’t go bad. Opting for foods with less packaging makes a difference as well, because most packaging is made of plastic which is made from fossil fuels.

1. Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992.