World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 - (Page 30)

Globally, agriculture may contribute up to of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, with livestock production alone contributing 18 percent. High-Carbon Food s someone who is concerned about the state of the world, you’ve probably heard that some foods, meat in particular, are “high-carbon” foods. Globally, agriculture may contribute up to onethird of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, with livestock production alone contributing 18 percent. Beyond agricultural production—fertilizer, chemicals and diesel—a great deal of energy is spent on transporting foods that range from the necessary (fresh foods in wintry northern climes) to the frivolous (exotic tropical fruits in summer months when local produce is abundant). Much of our food travels by refrigerated truck or as air cargo rather than by more efficient modes such as trains or container ships. Add to this the energy it takes to manufacture the prepackaged, highly processed and refined foods we eat in ever-greater quantities, and we can conservatively estimate that the food system’s contribution to climate change is one-third of total worldwide emissions. 1/3 A Industrial livestock production is a particularly high emitter of greenhouse gases. And it’s not only the use of fossil fuels in feed production or longdistance transportation. In pre-industrialized farming, animal waste was used to fertilize crop land. Now it is typically pooled into lagoons that emit great quantities of methane gas, 23 times more powerful at trapping heat against the Earth’s surface than carbon dioxide. Sadly, what was once considered a nutrient is now considered a noxious waste byproduct. Food from cows, sheep and goats—including cheese and meat—are the highest per-ounce contributors of greenhouse gases. As ruminants, these animals have specialized stomachs that cause them to belch methane gas as they digest their food. And they consume a lot of food during their lifetimes. If you eat local meats and cheeses, you are reducing the better-known transportation impact of the food system, and this helps. But these foods are classified as highly emitting because of the way they are grown, not where they are raised. Sustainably raised animals—and their waste—are an appropriate part of a healthy cycle that can nourish people and the land. Your Choices Matter So how much does the choice of what you eat for dinner really matter? Your choices can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions associated with our existing food system. They can give others around the world an opportunity to sustain their growing regions. Your choices can also represent an investment in a region’s ability to rebuild itself as a sustainable whole. Helene S. York is director of the Bon Appètit Management Company Foundation, an organization whose mission is to educate chefs and consumers about the environmental and social implications of their food choices. 30 May/June 2008 | WOrlD Ark www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Why Water Matters The Carbon Hoofprint From Farm to Table Healing History Mixed Media Heifer Spirit Heifer Bulletin World Ark Market Calendar First Person

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

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