Making a difference through what we eat

As we saw in the previous step, the food choices we make every day can have a significant impact on our climate. Agriculture and food production account for approximately one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. But different food types differ vastly in their carbon footprints.

In this step, you’ll explore the climate impact of different foods and meals and how to address the practical challenges of changing dietary habits.

Understanding the climate impact of our meals

When we look at a restaurant menu, we typically see prices, ingredients and perhaps calorie counts. But what if menus also showed us the climate impact of each dish? This perspective could help us make more informed choices about our food consumption and its environmental consequences.  

The menu below has been created to show you the quantity of emissions (in grams of CO2e) associated with the sourcing and preparation of different dishes – that is, the carbon footprint of each dish.

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Analysing this menu reveals significant variations in climate impact across different dishes, depending mainly on whether they contain meat, cheese, or only plant-based ingredients.  

Which foods generate the most or the least emissions?  

To better understand these differences, let’s compare the carbon footprints of 1000 kilocalories worth of different food types, which are shown in the graphic below (based on data from Poore and Nemecek, 2018).

Adapted from Our World in Data (2019), CC BY 4.0.

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This visualisation shows the stark contrasts in the carbon footprints of different foods, demonstrating how much larger the carbon footprints of animal products are compared to those of plant-based products. Several key factors contribute to these variations: 

• Ruminant animals (cattle, sheep) produce methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) during their digestion. 
• Land use changes, including deforestation for grazing and feed production. 
• Energy requirements of different farming methods. 
• Processing, transportation and storage needs. 

Plant-based foods generally show significantly lower emissions due to their more efficient use of land and resources and the absence of methane emissions in their production. 

Health and environmental benefits: A dual impact

Beyond environmental considerations, our diets also affect our health. Shifting from a Western meat-heavy diet to a mostly plant-based and high legume and nut-based diet can lead to a remarkable increase in life expectancy (Fadnes et al., 2022). It can also lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, while giving you all the nutrients you need.

What do you think? 

Thinking about what you or your friends typically eat, whether at home or when dining out, consider your responses to the following questions:  

• How do your food choices align with the carbon footprints we’ve explored?  
• What meals could you imagine enjoying that would have a lower impact on the environment? 

As you reflect, consider any obstacles that might make it challenging to make these changes. Share and discuss your responses with other learners in the Comments section.