posts_gdocs: 1urxTFCg1BXBSMSjP4OmiG_iRHJuz5Fp5RSBvq53LtbM

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            "slug": "undefined-livestock-fisheries-account-for-31-of-food-emissions",
            "text": "Livestock & fisheries account for 31% of food emissions.",
            "title": "Livestock & fisheries account for 31% of food emissions.",
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        },
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            "slug": "undefined-crop-production-accounts-for-27-of-food-emissions",
            "text": "Crop production accounts for 27% of food emissions.",
            "title": "Crop production accounts for 27% of food emissions.",
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        },
        {
            "slug": "undefined-land-use-accounts-for-24-of-food-emissions",
            "text": "Land use accounts for 24% of food emissions.",
            "title": "Land use accounts for 24% of food emissions.",
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        },
        {
            "slug": "undefined-supply-chains-account-for-18-of-food-emissions",
            "text": "Supply chains account for 18% of food emissions.",
            "title": "Supply chains account for 18% of food emissions.",
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                    "text": "When it comes to tackling climate change, the focus tends to be on \u2018clean energy\u2019 solutions \u2013 the deployment of ",
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                    "url": "https://ourworldindata.org/renewable-energy",
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                            "text": "renewable",
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                    "text": " or nuclear energy; improvements in ",
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                    "url": "https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-and-changing-energy-sources#energy-intensity-of-economies",
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                            "text": "energy efficiency",
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                    "text": "; or transition to low-carbon transport. Indeed, energy, whether in the form of electricity, heat, transport or industrial processes, account for the majority \u2013 76% \u2013 of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.",
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                    "url": "#note-1",
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                                    "text": "1",
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                    "text": "But the global food system, which encompasses production, and post-farm process such as processing, and distribution is also a key contributor to emissions. And it\u2019s a problem for which we don\u2019t yet have viable technological solutions.",
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                    "text": "The visualization shown here \u2013 based on data from the meta-analysis by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek (2018), published in ",
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                            "text": "Science",
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                    "text": " \u2013 summarizes food\u2019s share of total emissions and breaks it down by source.",
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                    "url": "#note-2",
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                            "children": [
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                                    "text": "2",
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                    "text": "Food is responsible for approximately 26% of global GHG emissions.",
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                    "text": "There are four key elements to consider when trying to quantify food GHG emissions. These are shown by category in the visualization:",
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                            "text": "Livestock & fisheries account for 31% of food emissions",
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                    "text": "Livestock \u2013 animals raised for meat, dairy, eggs and seafood production \u2013 contribute to emissions in several ways. Ruminant livestock \u2013 mainly cattle \u2013 for example, produce methane through their digestive processes (in a process known as \u2018enteric fermentation\u2019). Manure management, pasture management, and fuel consumption from fishing vessels also fall into this category. This 31% of emissions relates to on-farm \u2018production\u2019 emissions only: it does not include land use change or supply chain emissions from the production of crops for animal feed: these figures are included separately in the other categories.",
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                    "text": "Crop production accounts for 27% of food emissions.",
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                    "text": "21% of food\u2019s emissions comes from crop production for direct human consumption, and 6% comes from the production of animal feed. They are the direct emissions which result from agricultural production \u2013 this includes elements such as the release of nitrous oxide from the application of fertilizers and manure; methane emissions from rice production; and carbon dioxide from agricultural machinery.",
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                    "text": "Land use accounts for 24% of food emissions.",
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                    "text": "Twice as many emissions result from land use for livestock (16%) as for crops for human consumption (8%).",
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                    "url": "#note-3",
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                                    "text": "3",
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                    "text": "Agricultural expansion results in the conversion of forests, grasslands and other carbon \u2018sinks\u2019 into cropland or pasture resulting in carbon dioxide emissions. \u2018Land use\u2019 here is the sum of land use change, savannah burning and organic soil cultivation (plowing and overturning of soils).",
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                            "text": "Supply chains account for 18% of food emissions",
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                    "text": "Food processing (converting produce from the farm into final products), transport, packaging and retail all require energy and resource inputs. Many assume that eating local is key to a low-carbon diet, however, transport emissions are often a very small percentage of food\u2019s total emissions \u2013 only 6% globally. Whilst supply chain emissions may seem high, at 18%, it\u2019s essential for ",
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                    "children": [
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                            "text": "reducing",
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                {
                    "text": " emissions by preventing food waste. Food waste emissions are large: one-quarter of emissions (3.3 billion tonnes of CO",
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                            "text": "2",
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                    "text": "eq) from food production ends up as wastage either from supply chain losses or consumers. Durable packaging, refrigeration and food processing can all help to prevent food waste. For example, wastage of processed fruit and vegetables is ~14% lower than fresh, and 8% lower for seafood.",
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                    "url": "#note-4",
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                                    "text": "4",
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                    "text": "Reducing emissions from food production will be one of our greatest challenges in the coming decades. Unlike many aspects of ",
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                            "text": "energy production",
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                    "text": " where viable opportunities for upscaling low-carbon energy \u2013\u00a0 ",
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                            "text": "renewable",
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                    "text": " or nuclear energy \u2013\u00a0 are available, the ways in which we can decarbonize agriculture are less clear. We need inputs such as fertilizers to meet growing food demands, and we can\u2019t stop cattle from producing methane. We will need a menu of solutions: changes to diets; food waste reduction; improvements in agricultural efficiency; and technologies that make low-carbon food alternatives scalable and affordable.",
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                                "text": "IPCC, 2014: ",
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                                        "url": "https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/",
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                                        "text": ". Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change",
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                                "text": " [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp.",
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                                "text": "Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). ",
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                                "url": "https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987",
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                                        "text": "Reducing food\u2019s environmental impacts through producers and consumers",
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                                "text": ". ",
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                                "text": "Gustavsson, G., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., Emanuelsson, A.\u00a0(2013).\u00a0The methodology of the FAO study: \u2018Global food losses and food waste\u2014extent, causes and prevention\u2019 - ",
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                                        "text": "FAO, 2011. Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) report 857, SIK",
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                                "text": "6% of land use change results from conversion from food for human consumption, and 12% for the production of animal feed. Savannah burning (2% of food emissions) is largely burning of bush land in Africa to allow animal grazing. Emissions from cultivated organic soils (4%) are split between human food and animal feed. This is where very high carbon soils are used for cropland, and this releases carbon. It\u2019s a major issue in palm plantations and also in some Northern Hemisphere countries.",
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                                "text": "This means food for direct human consumption is equal to 6% (land use change) + 2% cultivated soils = 8%Livestock is equal to 12% (land use change) + 2% savannah burning + 2% cultivated soils = 16%.",
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    },
    "type": "article",
    "title": "Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions",
    "authors": [
        "Hannah Ritchie"
    ],
    "excerpt": "One-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions result from food and agriculture. What are the main contributors to food's emissions?",
    "dateline": "November 6, 2019",
    "subtitle": "One-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions result from food and agriculture. What are the main contributors to food's emissions?",
    "featured-image": "Food-GHG-emissions-thumbnail.png"
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