We all need food – it is quite literally our means of survival. That makes it all the more important that we are aware of the work and resources that go into our food. After all, the cultivation, production, transport, and processing of food all have an impact on our planet. Through greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and land use, every food item carries its own unique ecological footprint.
With regard to climate change, one of the greatest challenges of our time, the greenhouse gases released during the cultivation, production, transport and processing of every food product are an important factor.
What are CO2 equivalents and direct or indirect greenhouse gas emissions ?
CO₂e is the abbreviation for CO₂ equivalents. It describes all greenhouse gases and therefore also includes nitrous oxide, methane, and others. To have a uniform reference point, these gases are often expressed in CO₂e . This conversion factor incorporates the climate impact of the individual greenhouse gases. Thus, it is often simplified to speak of CO₂ emissions, even though all other greenhouse gases are also included.
The size of each food product's individual CO2e footprint depends, among other things, on the product itself and how it was produced. However, the conversion of natural ecosystems into arable land also contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions. These are referred to as direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
Direct greenhouse gas emissions arise directly from the energy required for processing, transporting and storing food.
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions, on the other hand, are related to the conversion of natural ecosystems such as forests or grasslands into arable land. This conversion also alters the capacity of these systems to absorb greenhouse gases. These indirect greenhouse gas emissions are often not included in the calculations because their precise determination is very complex.
CO2e footprint of food
To give you a sense of how much CO2 and other greenhouse gases are contained in individual foods, we've looked up the CO2e emissions of various products. For example, one kilogram of eggplant emits as much CO2e as driving two kilometers by car. The CO2e released for one kilogram of beef is equivalent to driving from Hanover to Wolfsburg – a distance of 87 kilometers! (Source: Klimatarier ). Please note: These figures are averages. Depending on the cultivation method and origin , the CO2e footprint of individual foods may vary slightly.
Comparing food sources clearly shows that a plant-based diet has a significantly lower CO2e and land footprint than a diet based on animal products. In fact, 70% of the greenhouse gases from our diet are attributable to animal products ( source: WWF ).
How CO2e emissions are generated in food production: cultivation, transport , packaging & more
Agriculture releases three greenhouse gases: nitrous oxide, methane, and CO2 . At 11-14%, agriculture is responsible for a considerable portion of greenhouse gas emissions (source: WWF ).
When it comes to the processing, storage, and transport of food , the following applies: Minimally processed and packaged products typically have lower CO₂e emissions than highly processed foods. Every production step requires energy. For example, operating specific storage facilities such as cold storage warehouses is energy-intensive and therefore negatively impacts the CO₂e footprint of food. Greenhouse gases (mostly CO₂ ) are also produced during transport , and these vary depending on the length and mode of transport (by plane, truck, rail, or ship) (Source: WWF ).
Cooling, preparation and disposal generate further greenhouse gases in private households and at large-scale consumers.
The agricultural sector is responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from our food, accounting for 45-60%. Consumers and large-scale consumers are the second largest contributors, with approximately 20% of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from our handling and consumption of food (WWF, Climate Change on the Plate 2012). Food products with long transport routes have a particularly high carbon footprint.
Therefore, a regional, seasonal and plant-based diet is good for the climate.
Increased impacts due to food waste
Food production involves a high use of various resources. Therefore, if we waste or dispose of food, all the resources that went into its production through cultivation, storage, transport, etc., are also lost.
If we consider food waste alone , it releases 3.3 billion tons of CO2e annually. If food waste were a country, it would be the third- largest emitter of CO2e, right after China and the USA (source: FAO ). For this reason, Project Drawdown sees reducing food waste as one of the most important strategies in the fight against climate change (source: Project Drawdown ).
With each processing step in the value chain , the CO2 emissions of a food product increase . Therefore, the later a food product is disposed of, the higher its CO2e emissions will be.