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With food production responsible for up to one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable eating is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. And one way to do that is to eat more so-called "carbon-negative" foods.
Understood as foods that remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than they emit, carbon-negative foods are not very common yet. They are on the rise, however, and it is believed they will play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the coming years.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.
When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, it is no great secret that food production is partly to blame.
From tractors burning fuel to manufacturing fertilizers, there are plenty of processes involved in food production that emit greenhouse gases.
In fact, it is estimated that food production is responsible for one quarter of the total greenhouse gases emitted by humans.
There are, however, some foods that are considered carbon-negative. That is to say, they remove more greenhouse gases than they emit.
By producing and consuming more of these foods, we can help reduce the carbon footprint of food production and, in some cases, help restore ecosystems.
This is because as kelp grows, it takes in CO2. Part of the plant then breaks off and falls to the ocean floor, where some of the carbon is stored.
Kelp therefore has the potential to be a carbon-negative food. In order for this to be the case, however, the supply chain must be very efficient, with minimal transport, packaging, and processing.
Foods grown on wetted peatlands, such as blueberries, cranberries, and celery, also have the potential to be carbon-negative.
Currently, however, this is not usually the case. Blueberries, for example, are often packaged in plastic and flown around the world, which of course means they are very carbon-positive.
Although they are rare and difficult to identify, plants grown on wetted peatlands do exist. Their availability is expected to increase in the years to come.
Next up we have foods that grow on trees, such as nuts, olives, and citrus fruits. These tend to be carbon-negative, because planting trees on cropland stores carbon.
In fact, the typical nut product that you buy in stores today will remove around 1.3 kg of CO2 per kilogram.
If the trees that grow these foods are used to make long-lasting wood products once they reach the end of their life cycle, the carbon they store will remain stored for even longer.
Finally we have regeneratively farmed foods. These are foods that are farmed using regenerative practices, such as not tilling the soil or planting hedgerows.
Using regenerative farming practices can help increase the amount of carbon stored in soil or vegetation. Some farms claim to have already made their products carbon-negative using these processes.
For example, British regenerative farming firm Wildfarmed reports that for each kilogram of wheat produced by its growers, 1.5 kg of CO2 is removed from the atmosphere.
According to research, however, regenerative farming practices are unlikely to help farmers achieve carbon negativity when it comes to high-emission foods, such as beef.
In countries all over the world, robust carbon monitoring and labeling schemes that account for the whole lifecycle of a product are being rolled out.
Once these are in place and are properly backed by regulation, they should make it easier for non-experts to identify carbon-negative foods.
Meat and dairy products have a particularly high carbon footprint due to the methane emissions of the livestock. Reducing your consumption can help lower the carbon footprint of your diet.
It is also a good idea to source your food locally, wherever possible. Of course, the priority should be consuming a balanced diet all year round.
However, it is best to get your food from local suppliers wherever possible, since this reduces emissions from long-distance transportation and storage.
Another way to reduce the carbon footprint of your diet is to minimize food waste. Of course, minimizing waste is important as a rule of thumb.
Last but not least, it is a good idea to grow your own produce. Not only is this fun, but it's also a great way to reduce the carbon footprint of the food you eat.
By growing your own fruits and vegetables, you eliminate the need for packaging and long-distance transportation.
Implementing at least some of these strategies can help make your diet more carbon-neutral, while we wait for carbon-negative foods to become more readily available.
Sources: (BBC)
See also: The diets with the biggest and smallest carbon footprints
Top tips for switching to a carbon-neutral diet
Reduce the carbon footprint of your food
FOOD Greenhouse gases
With food production responsible for up to one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable eating is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. And one way to do that is to eat more so-called "carbon-negative" foods.
Understood as foods that remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than they emit, carbon-negative foods are not very common yet. They are on the rise, however, and it is believed they will play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the coming years.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.