Norwegian scientists have created the first map showing countries where the ecological impact from food production is concentrated. the map shows 90% food production It is located on only 10% of the Earth’s surface. Also, just five countries are responsible for almost half of the environmental impact that this activity causes on the planet.
NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) pioneered the printing of maps showing: pressure exerted by the global food system on the environment and climate.
“No one has done this before, and mapping has been a huge task,” says lead author Daniel Moran, a research fellow in the Department of Energy and Process Engineering and collaborating with 16 researchers from various universities. , including Leeds and California’s Santa Barbara.
The aim of the study is to realize a food production that affects the natural environment less.. “There are many different foods on the planet and countless ways to produce them. The environmental consequences are numerous and difficult to calculate. By better understanding the negative impacts, we can produce more environmentally efficient food. This is how we will protect the environment and ensure we have enough food for the world’s population,” Moran said. We will help,” he said.
The five countries with the most influence
The study, of five countries –China, India, USA, Brazil and Pakistan– responsible for almost half of the global environmental impact from food production. The researchers did not “crown” the countries with the smallest environmental footprints for one simple reason: poor countries living with food shortages and starvation.
The researchers obtained data on 99% of all food production in water and on land. The singularity of this study is that the research group The main types of pressures that food production puts on the environment are: CO2 emissions, water consumption, habitat destruction and pollution.
They also tracked the entire “life cycle” of food, from the planting of grain to the birth of a piglet to the bread and bacon on the consumer’s table to determine the total environmental impact. Emissions from the production of soil depletion, pesticides, toxic waste, animal feed, irrigation, diesel and fertilizers for transportation: it’s all included in this big environmental calculation.
In the study, the effects arising from the transportation of food are analyzed specifically. The transport of these goods by road or sea causes significant polluting gas emissions.. For example, it is not easy to map the “miles travel” of food, as a frozen pizza may contain ingredients from various countries.
When it comes to milk production, the journey from the cow to the dairy to the consumer’s table is far from a direct route. In some countries, a product as simple as yogurt may contain both imported milk powder and dried fruit that has had to travel miles.
The study considers the sea, water and land as a whole. For example, pigs and poultry eat herring, anchovies and sardines, leaving their mark on the marine environment. In salmon farming, it consumes vegetable feeds grown on land.
With all the data collected, the researchers created multiple custom maps that could be combined to study different effects. Maps provide a simple display that allows direct comparison of almost all foods from different regions.
90% of food is produced in 10% of the world
Research shows that 90% of all food production occurs on 10% of the world’s land area.
Dairy products and beef production cover 25% of agricultural land.. Farming is often said to have the most detrimental environmental impact by occupying the most grazing lands, using a lot of water, and producing large methane emissions. However, the survey shows that Pig farming imposes a higher ecological burden, mainly due to the large amount of resources used to produce feed.
“In general, locally produced food is the most environmentally friendly optionbut we were surprised by how much the manufacturing footprint of the same product varies in different countries,” says Moran.
“A food product can be sustainable if it is produced in one country but cannot be produced in another.. For example, soybean production in the US turned out to be twice as environmentally friendly as in India.”
The researchers do not point out that any diet is best for the environment, as the optimal diet can vary greatly from country to country. Moran points out that while local food is often sustainable, people may want to find a balance between their desire to be self-sufficient with all kinds of food and production that is as environmentally efficient as possible.
Reference work: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-00965-x
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