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Food and Climate Change

Food and Climate Change. The world on a plate Tara Garnett Food Climate Research Network Sustain – 2 nd May 2007. This presentation. Climate change: the facts Food & its contribution to climate changing emissions Climate change & its impact on food supply chains

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Food and Climate Change

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  1. Food and Climate Change The world on a plate Tara Garnett Food Climate Research Network Sustain – 2nd May 2007

  2. This presentation • Climate change: the facts • Food & its contribution to climate changing emissions • Climate change & its impact on food supply chains • What can we do to reduce food chain emissions? • What’s going on: Government & industry

  3. Climate change: the facts • Latest IPCC report: • ‘Warming of the climate system is unequivocal…’ • Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely[over 90% certainty]due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations

  4. Climate change… • Temperature increase of 0.74ºC in last 100 years • 11 of last 12 years have been the warmest on record • Warming of oceans • Faster than average warming in Arctic

  5. What is more… • Under BAU temperatures to rise by about 3°C by 2100 (range: 2 to 4.5°C ). • 2°C rise = ‘dangerous climate change’ • We’re already ‘committed’ to 1°C rise even if we stop producing any more GHGs right now. • We need to achieve 80% not 60% cuts by 2050 • UK not meeting our CO2 reduction targets • And nor is Europe as a whole

  6. But… • New Climate Change Bill • Targeted 5 yearly ‘budgets’ set at least 15 years ahead • 26-32% cut by 2020 • Things need to change!

  7. Quick lesson in terminology • GHGs = greenhouse gas emissions • CO2 the main GHG but… • …others also important especially for food • Methane • Nitrous oxide • Refrigerant gases

  8. What part does food play? Need to consider emissions at all stages in the food chain: • Agriculture • Manufacturing • Refrigeration • Transport • Packaging • Retail • Home • Waste They all affect one another

  9. Food consumption related contribution to UK consumption GHGs (work in progress)

  10. Agriculture Manufacture Storage Transport Cooking Packaging Waste Meat & dairy; glasshouse veg Bread baking (unless driving to store) Ice cream; frozen peas Anything air freighted eg. US berries Baked potato; pasta, tea, coffee Bottle of beer 11% purchased food is wasted: 25% fruit & veg wasted along whole chain The ‘hotspots’ vary by food

  11. Impacts by food type: UK work so far • Meat and dairy – about 8% • Fruit and veg - about 2.5% • Alcoholic drinks – about 1.5% • This is of the UK’s TOTAL GHG emissions

  12. Meat and dairy • 8% of total emissions – why is this? • Nitrous oxide and methane are important greenhouse gases

  13. Fruit and vegetables • Contributes approx 2.5% total • Trends: increasing consumption of GHG intensive produce: • Air freighted • Unseasonal protected • Pre-prepared • Fragile / spoilable

  14. Alcoholic drinks • Contributes about 1.5% of total • Trends: • More wine: relative importance of transport to grow? • More chilled: cold lagers, cider over ice, chilled wine, spirit mixers • More in-home: more single serve packages • Hospitality sector?? • More drinking: (except for this year)

  15. What about food miles? Is nearer better? • It depends…. • There are trade-offs to consider • Eg. agricultural production, manufacturing efficiency, cold storage, waste • On the other hand…relationship between transport distance & refrigeration, & waste • Conflicting demands on land eg. biofuels

  16. What about air freight? • The most GHG intensive form of transport • Less than 1% all food carried by air but = 11% total food transport CO2 (including car trips) • 1.5% fruit and veg carried by air but accounts for 40% total transport CO2 (or 50% freight CO2). • Not much in grand scheme of things but growing – and it subsidises passenger transport • The greater the volume, the cheaper it is to fly food • Food is the fastest growing air freighted commodity

  17. Is air always the worst option? Sometimes other options can be more GHG intensive (eg. hothouse flowers from Holland) BUT This doesn’t meant that air freight is ‘okay’ It just means that both have very high impacts!

  18. However…air freight and LDCs Contribution of SSA countries to total non- EU fruit and veg air freighted imports: • Kenya 22% • S Africa 6% • Ghana 6% • Zimbabwe 3.6% Of top 20 air freight importers by volume, almost all LDCs 1-1.5 mill people dependent on export horticulture in SSA (up to 120,000 directly employed)

  19. What about organic? • Many benefits to organic: • Long term soil quality • Biodiversity • Animal welfare • But it’s not always less GHG intensive • Eg. beef and dairy and poultry • ALTHOUGH it sometimes is! • So how do you act consistently?

  20. Is healthy food less GHG intensive? It depends…

  21. Two balanced meals…A ninefold GHG difference

  22. Climate change impacts on food supply Agriculture • Some positive – but largely negative • Extreme weather events (drought, flooding) • Changes in crop suitability • Crop and livestock diseases • Water • Poor will suffer most Food processing and distribution • Disruptions to transport & stationary infrastructure • Unpredictability can lead to crop spoilage & waste Consumption • Changes in consumer demand? • Consequences for food industry & household energy use? • Food safety problems?

  23. What might the impacts be for buyers? • Current sources no longer viable? • More variability of supply? • Transport / distribution infrastructure • Depends which part of the supply chain cleans up its act / adapts first • Impact of legislation may be more important in the short term

  24. Reducing food impacts How far will technology get us?

  25. The technological options (1) • Agriculture: plant & animal breeding; better nutrient use • Manufacturing: CHP / trigeneration / life cycle costing • Refrigeration: 20-50% efficiency savings possible; novel technologies including non HFC refrigeration, trigeneration (increases efficiency from 38% to 76%).

  26. The technological options (2) • Transport: modal shift, efficient supply chains; cleaner fuels (in future years) • Retailing: massive scope for improvements in lighting and refrigeration; renewables • Domestic: energy efficient appliances, visible energy metering • Lots of little impacts/solutions rather than one big one

  27. But • Will this get us to an 80% cut by 2050? • Technology doesn’t address the root problems of the way we consume

  28. Eg.1: ready meal vs home cooking • Is the energy efficient ready meal the answer? • No trimmings or scraps: less waste • Production stage scraps can be used for animal feed • No pckgng for individual ingredients: less pckgng • More efficient industrial ovens • Only transport what is eaten: less transport • Recent LCA showed little difference between home and ready-meal But: complex multi-ingredient, elaborately prepared food reliant on long supply chains and refrigeration becomes the norm – problem exacerbated?

  29. Eg. 2: Food waste: how to reduce? • Wasted food = wasted CO2 + CH4 • 11% food bought is not eaten • UK – 25% fruit and veg never eaten (most waste is in the home) • The technology approach? Improve packaging, portion size (no leftovers), extend food life span to match our lifestyles? • The behaviour approach? Plan your meals, shop little and often, use your leftovers, compost scraps, shared living?

  30. What might a less GHG intensive way of eating look like? • Changing the balance of what we eat • Less meat & dairy - lower down on food chain • Seasonal field grown foods (less storage, heating & transport) • Choosing to avoid certain foods • Eg. anything hothoused/air freighted (but developing world?) • Reducing dependence on cold chain • The ‘two freezer syndrome’ • Robust foods (including less processed) • Frequent non car based shopping / frequent turnover of food • But wasting less • Eat what we buy, soon after we’ve bought it • Accepting variability of quality and supply • Efficient cooking • Cook for more people and for several days • Less use of oven • Simpler food???

  31. How? Life is complicated and food is a complex part of life

  32. Food and its meanings Nurture Entertainment Neurosis Pleasure Guilt Need Ritual Food Habit Satisfaction Socialglue Love Status Power Bribery Comfort Religioussignificance Time-pass

  33. Influenced by wider forces • Price / affordability • Availability • Time – work / ‘stressed leisure’ syndrome • Culture, social & family expectations, norms, aspirations • Knowledge, information, fashions & beliefs (education, media, marketing) • Demographic changes: ageing population, single person society, wealth • Technological changes • Season • Tastes • Habits

  34. What might this mean for the food industry Consistency, choice, ubiquity, availability, variety… Versus Less choice? More variability of quality? Non availability? A move away from chilled foods….

  35. Climate relevant legislation and initiatives • Climate Change Agreements • Energy Performance Commitment (consultation) • FISS and ‘champions groups’ • Climate Change Bill • Market Transformation Programme • Defra research programmes • Carbon Trust initiatives & advice • Individual company LCAs and e.e. initiatives

  36. What’s business doing? • M & S: air freight labelling commitment • Tesco: • Air freight labelling & reduce % flown • Carbon labelling…. • 50% energy cut in stores and DCs by 2020 • Halve distribution emissions in 5 yrs • Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose all have various initiatives • Populist vs. scientific approach?

  37. Thank you Tara Garnett taragarnett@blueyonder.co.uk 020 7686 2687 www.fcrn.org.uk Food Climate Research Network

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