Knowledge Sharing
7. Food is a critical factor of climate change
Cooshti, Lee Tung Avenue on 18 October 2024
From 7:30 PM Via speech
Aims of the sharing
Dear Alumni,
We need to understand climate change is caused by the greenhouse gas effect made by human activities. Apart from keeping fossil fuels in the ground, one of the solutions is to change our diet by eating less animal-based food to eating more plant-based food, as well as change the way we buy, use and dispose waste to reduce carbon emissions for having clean air and healthy life.
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main drivers of the change.
Human activities generate a greenhouse effect is caused by the gas in the atmosphere of Earth, it absorbs infrared radiation from the Sun in the form of heat, which is circulated in the atmosphere making the earth warm and eventually lost to space.
The phenomena of climate change include the increased temperature, changes in sea level rise, ice mass loss, shifts in flower and plant blooming and extreme weather events such as wide spread flooding, year- long droughts, extreme wildfires and catastrophic storms become more frequent and more intense.
The common causes of greenhouse gas emission:
1. Power plants in particular coal plants, the burning of coal to generate electricity,
2. Vehicles in particular using gasoline (car, airplane, ship) and transport,
3. Landfills release carbon dioxide,
4. Overfishing disrupting ocean health, causing ocean warmer, disabling its ability to store carbon,
5. Melting glaciers release carbon dioxide,
6. Agriculture and food growing are the main source of Methane emission,
7. Deforestation release carbon dioxide.
World Food Day on 16th Oct
It is an international day celebrated every year to commemorate the date of founding of UN Food and Agriculture organisation in 1945. The aim is to promote global action for those who suffer from hunger and awareness of the need to ensure healthy diets.
Nowadays, a healthy diet does not only concern someone’s wellbeing, but the wellbeing of our planet, how to mitigate climate change is our responsibility.
We need to understand Our food system
According to scientists’ researches, it generates one third higher greenhouse gas emissions intensity than aviation industry.
Animal based food especially red meat, dairy and farmed shrimps have a high impact on our planet.
To meet the dietary needs on population growth, the needs to clear land and deforestation for the expansion of space for animal farms (for meat and dairy) and growing animal feeds cause the emission of carbon dioxide from cutting down trees. (Tree has a system. It absorbs carbon dioxide from human and breaths out oxygen to air).
Cattle and sheep are Methane producers, because of their digestive process of leaves. Methane is more poisonous than carbon dioxide.
Cattle and sheep’s manure and the fertilizers used on crops for feeding cattle and sheep emit nitrous oxide.
The cutting down of mangrove forests along coast for shrimp / prawn farm emit huge amount of carbon oxide, due to their storage of carbon oxide from human that being released to the atmosphere.
The refrigeration and transport of food, the paper and aluminum for packing food emit carbon oxide.
How to improve and reduce emissions from food sector.
Animal products is an important source of nutrition. Improved feeds and feeding techniques can reduce Methane from cattle’s digestion and the amount of nitrous oxide released by decomposing manure.
Farmers should also improve fertilizer management and rotational grazing to maintain good soil to store carbon. Importantly, the restoration of green forest lands can reduce emission.
To Switch to plant- based food, more healthier meals
With more plant protein such as whole grains, beans, chickpeas, nuts, and lentils, less saturated fats such as butter, milk, cheese, meat, coconut oil and palm oil), these can reduce greenhouse gas emission.
With the availability of more meat alternatives, eating more plants is becoming easier and more widespread.
To Buy local and organic food
The locally grown food travel less miles from the farms from far way that released more greenhouse gas emission. Eating organic reduces the need for fertilizers which results in Nitrous oxide emission, a more poisonous greenhouse gas than Methane and Carbon oxide. Organic farming includes regenerative agriculture skills (keep soil healthy) that reduce emissions.
To Cut your food waste and start composting food
Only buy what you can eat. If you throw away food, you are also wasting the energy, land, water and fertilizer that was used to produce, package and transport it. When you really need to throw away food, composting your leftovers can reduce the amount of Methane and carbon oxide released by the waste.
Last not least- bring along your own reusable bag. Use least plastic!
Plastic pollution presents a serious threat to biodiversity, particularly for marine life as it can be easily ingested thereby resulting in the choking, injuring, poisoning, or starving of marine animals. Plastic waste usually not degradable, can also block up natural waterways, polluting the water and disrupting the natural flow.
Source: United Nations www.un.org
