Elin Röös | TableDebates

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Methane and the sustainability of ruminant livestock

The environmental sustainability of our food production methods, and what kinds of agricultural systems might be compatible with keeping global warming below internationally agreed upon limits, are key topics for sustainable food systems research and policy. Since the food system is an important emitter of three different greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; greater clarity as to their warming impacts and their consequent contribution to climate change is needed. https://www.doi.org/10.56661/25320192

Photo credits: Janet Vincent via https://flic.kr/p/eHGRay

What is environmental efficiency? And is it sustainable?

The concept of efficiency and its relation to food sustainability is defined and valued in different ways. Among those who argue that improved efficiency will lead to greater sustainability, there are different interpretations of what improved efficiency actually means. Others still, view the quest for efficiency itself to be problematic and its relationship with sustainability potentially oxymoronic. This building block is based on the FCRN report Lean, green, mean, obscene…? What is efficiency? And is it sustainable? It introduces the concept of efficiency and explores its relation to food system sustainability. Last update: 31 May, 2019 https://www.doi.org/10.56661/013a7886

Grazed and Confused

Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question – and what it all means for greenhouse gas emissions.

A steak and vegetables on a cutting board. Photo by Amirali Mirhashemian via Unsplash.

The Swedish Meat Guide – multidisciplinary research that reached society

Summer and the BBQ season are just about still here. By tradition, meat is the obvious choice for most – it is tasty, rich in protein and micronutrients, and available in an abundance of forms at a reasonable price. However, knowledge and understanding of the negative environmental and health impacts of meat is spreading. But is all meat bad or are some forms preferable over others?This piece is written by FCRN member and previous blog contributor Elin Röös and her colleague Sara Spendrup at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Foodsource

Environmental impacts of food: an introduction to LCA

Food systems use large amounts of natural resources and have significant environmental impacts; so what can we do to make them more sustainable? This chapter provides an accessible primer on the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology

An open pasture against a mountain range. Photo by Claudia Rancourt via Unsplash.

If farm animals only graze pastures and eat by-products – livestock problem solved?

This piece offers a review of nuances and contingencies in the current livestock sustainability discourse.This post is written by FCRN collaborator Elin Röös. Elin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences working for the Future Agriculture initiative at the same university, which is a strategic multidisciplinary research platform that addresses the sustainable use of natural resources with emphasis on agricultural production and food systems.

Lean mean green obscene

Lean, green, mean, obscene…? What is efficiency? And is it sustainable?

This paper explores these questions by considering how stakeholders think about efficiency in relation to animal production and consumption, both terrestrial and aquatic.

A meal with pita bread, veggies, and sauce. Photo by Odiseo Castrejon via Unsplash.

Environmental concerns now in Sweden’s newly launched dietary guidelines

In this piece, Elin Röös summarizes and contextualizes both the development and controversies of the Swedish Food Agency's recently released dietary guidelines.Elin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences working for the Future Agriculture initiative at the same university, which is a strategic multidisciplinary research platform that addresses the sustainable use of natural resources with emphasis on agricultural production and food systems. Currently she is visiting the Food Group at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, working with future scenarios for protein production and consumption, and engaged in the FCRN network.

breeding. Source: Wikimedia commons

Breeding for productivity and breeding for welfare: what is the relationship?

In this discussion paper, Tara Garnett and colleagues from SLU Sweden consider the productivity-welfare relationship in more detail. They argue that this is a critical issue to understand if we are to improve our knowledge of what more sustainable systems of livestock production and consumption look like.