A study in the April 15 edition of Environmental Science & Technology by the prolific Carnegie Mellon University researcher Christopher Weber found that food transport accounts for only 11 percent of food-associated greenhouse gas emissions, while production contributes a whopping 83 percent.
Weber conducted a life-cycle assessment of greenhouse gases emitted during all stages of growing and transporting food consumed in the U.S. and calculated that the average U.S. household generates 8.1 metric tons of greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) annually as a result of food consumption. By comparison, driving a car that gets 25 miles per gallon of gasoline for 12,000 miles per year (the U.S. average) produces about 4.4 tons of CO2.
Even more surprising, the study noted that U.S. consumers can do more to reduce greenhouse gases by eating one-seventh of a week’s calories from chicken, fish or vegetables instead of red meat or dairy than buying all local foods.
Source: by Robyn, selected from TreeHugger Aug 17, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment