| ID | 126605 |
| Title Proper | Mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions embodied in food through realistic consumer choices |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hoolohan, C ; Berners-Lee, M ; McKinstry-West, J ; Hewitt, C N |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embodied in 66 different food categories together with self-reported dietary information are used to show how consumer choices surrounding food might lead to reductions in food-related GHG emissions. The current UK-average diet is found to embody 8.8 kg CO2e person-1 day-1. This figure includes both food eaten and food wasted (post-purchase). By far the largest potential reduction in GHG emissions is achieved by eliminating meat from the diet (35% reduction), followed by changing from carbon-intensive lamb and beef to less carbon-intensive pork and chicken (18% reduction). Cutting out all avoidable waste delivers an emissions saving of 12%. Not eating foods grown in hot-houses or air-freighted to the UK offers a 5% reduction in emissions. We show how combinations of consumer actions can easily lead to reductions of 25% in food related GHG emissions. If such changes were adopted by the entire UK population this would be equivalent to a 71% reduction in the exhaust pipe emissions of CO2 from the entire UK passenger car fleet (which totalled 71 Mt CO2e year-1 in 2009). |
| `In' analytical Note | Energy Policy Vol.63; Dec 2013: p.1065-1074 |
| Journal Source | Energy Policy Vol.63; Dec 2013: p.1065-1074 |
| Key Words | Food ; Climate Change ; Greenhouse Gas Emissions |