Green Diet: Save Earth

Threats of global warming cannot be tackled by cutting emissions from fossil fuels alone but also by adopting more sustainable farm practices and vegetarian food habits. There are certain diets that have a lower carbon footprints. The diversification of food system featuring plant based foods, such as those on coarse grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds may present major opportunities to face the challenges of climate change through adaptation and mitigation.

Scientists have frequently underlined how about half of all emissions of methane, one of the most potent green house gases, comes from cattle and rice fields and how production of one kilo of meat, specifically beef, needs significantly higher amount of water as compared to production of one kilo food grains.

The global food system (both pre and post production activities) alone contributes 21-37% of total GHG emissions. It is also flagged that how sustainable farm practices and land use patterns accounted for 23% of total GHG emissions globally and how a business-as-usual scenario may lead to a global food crisis. It even projected increase of prices of different cereals in the range of 1-23% by 2050.

Agriculture related emissions mainly come in the form of methane and nitrous oxide due to use of synthetic fertilisers, wastes to soils, crop residue burning and use of fuel in farms. Food security will be increasingly affected by future climate change through yield declines-especially in the tropics- increased prices, reduced nutrition quality and supply chain disruptions. Stability of food supply is projected to decrease as the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events increases. The situation will be aggravated due to unsustainable farm practices such as excessive use of water and covering more ice-free land surface by clearing forests.

Climate Change and Food Security:

• At present 23% of the world’s geographical area is affected by degradation (India faces this problem in nearly 30% of its land due to multiple reasons including deforestation).
• Climate change may lead to food supply instability.
• Prices of cereals may increase upto 23% by 2050 from current level.
• Human use directly affects more than 70% of the global, ice-free land surface.
• Currently 35-30% of total food production is lost or wasted.
• In 2015, about 500 million people lived within areas which experienced desertification between 1980s and 2000s.

Matter referenced:

Times of India, Ahmedabad, Saturday, 10th August, 2019.

By: Dr. Bhawana Asnani.

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