Please invest in Our Daily Planet today, by making a one time or monthly contribution.
We do not charge our readers a subscription fee for our content. We want to continue to grow our readership, particularly among millennials and public servants. Voluntary contributions from readers will help us employ interns and freelance journalists, expand our content, and reach a larger audience.
If you make a contribution of $150 or more, you will become an official “Friend of the Planet” and receive a Friend of the Planet T-shirt or water bottle.
Our Daily Planet is a daily morning email (M-F) to keep you informed of the stories shaping our environment. If these issues matter to you, we’d like to be the best ten minutes of your morning.
In a report released Thursday, scientists say that if swift action is not taken to reduce emissions from food production, the world risks missing the targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement. According to the researchers, even if fossil fuel emissions were immediately halted, rising greenhouse gas emissions from food production would make it extremely difficult to limit overall warming this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Researchers worry that the hyperfocus on reducing fossil fuels will not leave enough time to address the “dark horse” of food production.
Why This Matters: Emissions from food production account for about 16 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, 30% of total global emissions. Food production encompasses a variety of practices and processes including but not limited to, land clearing and deforestation for agricultural use, livestock raising, production and use of fertilizers, and mass irrigation.
Researchers predict that due to population growth and changing consumption patterns, food emissions alone could putthe world over the 1.5-degree limit within the next 40 years.
A New Diet? A previous report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed that not only does food production contribute to rising temperatures, but the conversion of pristine native habitats into agricultural systems is the most important direct driver of biodiversity loss. WWF found that a global shift toward more sustainable (or “planet-based”) diets and eating patterns could have widespread benefits for the environment, human health, and the global economy. Brent Loken, the global lead food scientist for WWF, says that without serious changes to human diet patterns, food emissions will double by 2050.
Additionally, Jason Hill, senior author of the new report and a professor at the University of Minnesota, said that his team hadn’t necessarily considered massive global shifts toward diets like veganism. “We wanted to present the ones that were realistic goals,” he said. “A plant-rich diet is a realistic goal. We’re not saying in this paper to hit these targets we have to give up animal products. But there need to be some dietary shifts toward the healthier diets.”
A Team Effort: Michael Clark, a researcher at the University of Oxford the lead author of the new research, is optimistic that changes can be made in time to reach the tight deadlines of the Paris Agreement. He and others are exploring what kind of policies can be introduced to shift behaviors and markets toward sustainable food production. “Maybe it’s a combination of nudges at grocery stores, and top-down policies from governments,” said Dr. Clark. “It could be very bureaucratic or individualistic.”
WWF previously assessed 75 countries and found that none of them have National Dietary Guidelines (NDGs) that meet the organization’s sustainability goals. Loken believes that updating NDGs can guide crucial agricultural and commercial policy that could lead to a healthier environment and population. Loken suggests that countries can update their NDGs from international guidelines. For example, one report by the EAT-Lancet Commission, an international group of scientists, recommended a 50% reduction in global consumption of red meat by 2050.
Researchers all agree that action must come from every sector, and it must happen fast to avoid devastating consequences. “There are so many different ways we can do this,” said Dr. Clark. “Every person has a role to play, every corporation as well. Through collective action and political will we can actually do this pretty rapidly.”
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer The earth is collapsing under Russia’s northeastern towns as global warming melts the permafrost beneath them. Permafrost occupies 65% of Russia’s landmass, making this massive thawing particularly destructive. “There isn’t a single settlement in Russia’s Arctic where you wouldn’t find a destroyed or deformed building,” said Alexey Maslakov, […]
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer Heirs’ property is a type of land ownership whereby property is passed down without a will, and it’s one of the main reasons Black families in the US are losing their land. But the Mobile Basin Heirs’ Property Support Initiative announced yesterday could help families in Mississippi’s Mobile Bay […]
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer The White House announced Friday that President Biden will use his executive authority to restore protections for three national monuments drastically reduced during the Trump Administration. He will reestablish and increase the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, both of which are in Utah. The orders […]
Subscribe to the email that top lawmakers, renowned scientists, and thousands of concerned citizens turn to each morning for the latest environmental news and analysis.
Want the lastest climate news summarized for you each morning?
Our Daily Planet is your daily dose of the stories shaping our world and the ways that you can take action. From the climate crisis to the protection of biodiversity, if these issues matter to you then please subscribe & stay informed!
Your privacy is Important! We promise never to use your email address to send you spam or advertisements.