Carbon-Conscious Cooking - Book - Page 10
Introduction
this book matters
If we don’t act now, we will face irreversible changes to the planet we call home. The
frequency and severity of natural disasters will increase— which we’ve already seen
with record-breaking wildfires in California.1 While sea levels are rising, the ocean’s
heat and acidity are also consistently increasing. The ripple effect of our warming
climate has implications that are largely overlooked: everything from the studies that
demonstrate that at hotter temperatures, conflict, wars, and crime rates increase
significantly to the fact that fish may lose their ability to smell.2
Action at all levels is required to turn this situation around. Now is the time to take
individual action including a shift towards a plant-based diet.
your diet matters
Agriculture, in general, accounts for 24% of global greenhouse emissions— a sizable
chunk. Within this, animal products are responsible for 75% of total agricultural
emissions and 80% of land use despite only creating 18% of consumed calories.
Animal products are a massively inefficient use of calories. For every 100 calories of
grain we feed animals, we get only 40 calories of milk, 22 of eggs, 12 of chicken, 10 of
pork, or 3 of beef.3
Livestock’s land use, water use, and carbon footprint are disproportionate to plants.
Think about it this way: if cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s
third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Even more astonishing, of its carbon
emissions, livestock breathing accounts for 14% of the pie. Beyond the agriculture
industry, there are further emissions from food with cooking, storage, waste disposal,
and packaging. In comparison, the carbon footprint of a vegetarian diet is about half
that of a meat-lover’s diet.4 Your diet matters, and you can take action to change it.
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“What’s Driving”
Wallace-Wells
Blackshaw
Eatz