Image News and resources Eat less meat: Will the first global climate deal on food work? For the first time in three decades, COP28 dedicated a day of discussion to greenhouse gas emissions from food and agriculture, resulting in the first global declaration on reducing emissions from food production. But, researchers in the nature journal say that not enough has been agreed upon in the deal Read
Image Journal articles Food systems cause a third of global GHG emissions In 2015, 34% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions were caused by the food system, according to this paper - a proportion that has fallen over time. Most of these emissions (71%) were from agriculture and land use or land use change, with the rest from other supply chain stages. Read
Image Explainer 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 Read
Image Essay New report released by FCRN - Grazed and Confused (FCCT commentary) This is a reposting of a commentary on the report Grazed and Confused? written by the organisation Farm Carbon Cutting Toolkit. We are reposting the piece with their permission; you can read it on their website here. Read
Image Explainer How can we reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions? It is an internationally agreed objective to cut human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to zero this century, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Given the major contribution of food system activities to total human-caused emissions, reducing these emissions is of great importance. But how and by how much can emissions be reduced, while also feeding a growing population? There are different perspectives on how food systems emissions can be reduced and it is helpful to explore these since these differences also underpin many other debates around food system sustainability. Understanding these perspectives helps to put specific proposals for reducing food system emissions into a wider food systems context. Read
Image Explainer Food systems and greenhouse gas emissions Emissions resulting from the many activities involved in food systems, account for a substantial portion of all human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, as such, contribute to climate change. A major challenge for the sustainability of food systems is, therefore to figure out how its contribution to GHGs can be reduced. If we are to be able to address and mitigate food systems’ contributions to climate change, it is important to understand where and how the greenhouse gas emissions arise across the whole food system. Also important, is to understand how different ways of organising parts of the food system, can result in differing levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Read
Image Essay An update on water footprints The blog-post is the first in a two-part series on water. To read the follow up piece, where Dr Tim Hess from Cranfield University expands on the water stress footprint associated with different foods, read Post Two: Water footprint is the answer. Now what’s the question?This piece is written by FCRN member Brad Ridoutt who is a Principal Research Scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency. He is an international leader in the field of life cycle assessment (LCA), which he applies to agricultural production, food systems and sustainable healthy diets. Dr Ridoutt is engaged in a variety of international initiatives related to sustainability assessment. This includes ISO (International Organization for Standardization) where he represents Australia on committees related to LCA and environmental labelling. He also leads a task force within the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative which is establishing global guidance for developers of footprint metrics.NB. For an overview on terminology and the differences between water footprint and LCA, see the boxes below this text where more details are provided. Read
Image Essay The UK is increasingly “outsourcing” the environmental impact of its food supply This piece discusses the findings of a recent paper by de Ruiter and colleagues, Global cropland and greenhouse gas impacts of UK food supply are increasingly located overseas. The full abstract and citation are provided below. This post is written by FCRN member Henri de Ruiter. Henri is a PhD Student at the University of Aberdeen and the James Hutton Institute. Henri graduated with a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioural and Neurosciences from the University of Groningen. His current PhD project considers the implications of meeting a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet for future land use.Henri would welcome your thoughts on the paper. Add a comment in the field below this blog-post, but note that you need to be signed in as a member to write a comment. Read
Image Essay Further Attention to the Environmental Implications of Dietary Choices This piece, written by the lead author, provides further commentary on "Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US."This post is written by Michelle Tom, a research associate at Carnegie Mellon University. Michelle recently earned a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at CMU. Her research investigates the relationship between human health and natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation and food supply sectors of the U.S. Read