Food Waste: Impact on Crops and Climate Change?
By: JG
Let’s Talk More About Climate Change
Food Waste has a direct impact on climate change. The millions of tons wasted have a more impactful carbon footprint than the airline industry. Every year, there are millions of gallons of water wasted on growing crops that are not even viable to sell. According to the Washington Post, the amount of food wasted globally is around 8 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions every year and it is sadly increasing.
Since almost a third of produced food goes to waste, the amount of food and water wasted every year could be rough to feed every malnourished person on the planet.
Apart from the socioeconomic impact, the strain that food waste takes on natural resources, such as land and water could be caused at the beginning of the supply chain. Experts agree that by producing more food that is needed, the planet’s natural resources are being exploited. By producing more foods, there are more greenhouse emissions. From the fertilizers used for the crops to the refrigeration of food to transportation and even the disposal of the food surplus. All of these steps put more stress on the pressured resources, which can lead to future failed land for agricultural productions and pollution.
Crops vs Animal production
Even more so than crop growth, the production of animals, or “growing” them on a farm, produces a greater amount of greenhouse gases. Excess crops can be used to re-fertilize, but with animals, there is also the waste associated with their feeding and the carbon footprint from their transportation.
For example, in order to grow beef, there is much more energy needed to keep the animals warm, to water them, and to feed them, along with the energy that milking machines use. According to a study conducted by Yale, a waste of a pound of beef is more hurtful to the environment than throwing away a pound of lettuce. For that pound of beef, there was more fertilizer, land, and water to raise the cattle to produce the beef.
Household Solutions
It is crucial to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. Apart from making sure you only buy what you are going to need during the trips to the supermarket, keep tabs on what you have at home. If we all start doing our part, we can help decrease the amount of food that is wasted, and therefore also reduce the amount of food produced every year, thus decreasing the impact of food waste on the environment.
Edited by: AC
