Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 8:49:15 GMT
Have you ever wondered how those people who care about our environment and take small or large actions to live in peace with it make their purchases? Generally browsing grocery stores is a complex process, there are various options and prices and characteristics that modify the products even if they look similar. Now imagine how complex it can be for environmentalists, they try to make climate responsible purchases and other options to consider, and this can become quite a challenge. Going to the supermarket becomes a challenge Which broccoli do you get: the cheapest, the largest, or the most organic? What is the difference between this fair trade and sustainable chocolate bar and that fair trade and deforestation free chocolate bar? Should I buy fish for dinner instead of beef? And what about these individually wrapped bags of chips inside this non-recyclable packaging? For years, we've been told about the environmental impact of our eating habits, from meat, with its heavy carbon footprint, to the palm oil in our snacks, which is a big driver of deforestation. Labels and certifications that declare a product is “sustainable” or “all natural” are supposed to help us make informed decisions, but it's hard to know what they mean. There are some resources available to guide you, from universities, nonprofits, and apps. But just when you think you've figured it out, a host of new classifications are added to the mix, such as "carbon positive" gin and "certified transitional foods." So to help navigate the climate effects of our trips to the grocery store, HuffPost turned to the experts and spoke with climate scientists, those who have dedicated their time to tackling the science and studying solutions to the climate crisis, to understand how they think about through these decisions, and what matters to them when they buy food.
We leave you these valuable ideas that will surely help you be more responsible when making your purchases! Recommendations from experts and climate scientists Why is it important to take climate considerations into account when shopping for groceries? "What we eat and where it comes from matters: in terms of its climate impact, its environmental impact, its impact on local jobs and its impact on our health," said Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and professor of political science at Texas Tech. University. Our global food system is a big driver of emissions Bulgaria Mobile Number List and pollution, from chemical fertilizers leaching into waterways to methane emissions from cows and the carbon released by deforestation to clear land for agriculture. At the same time, the climate crisis is already affecting the land and the way we farm. Extreme weather, made more frequent and intense by climate change, means floods, heat waves and droughts, all of which damage and destroy crops, threatening farmers' livelihoods and the availability of nutritious food for all. “It can be dizzying to think about all the different ways what we eat contributes to climate challenges,” said Sheril Kirshenbaum, host of “Our Table,” a monthly discussion at Michigan State University about the future of food.
There is much more to consider than the article itself: the clearing of the land, the plowing of the land, the fertilizer and runoff, the use of water and energy that goes into producing the food, its transportation and refrigeration, the packaging . And so on. Sheril Kirshenbaum, host of “Our Table.” For climate scientists these factors are often a priority at the grocery store, to help them reduce their environmental impact and use their purchasing power to support farms and companies to make things better. " Climate and environmental considerations are of utmost importance to me when I shop for food," said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, a professor of soil biogeochemistry at the University of California, Merced. “I feel very strongly about this because agriculture and associated land degradation are the main drivers of climate change and could also be a big part of the solution to addressing climate change.” What are your most important climate-conscious shopping habits? Michael Mann, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Pennsylvania State University, said, "We lean heavily as a family and are vegetarians." While Marshall Shepherd, professor of geography and atmospheric sciences at the University of Georgia, said: “Over the years, I have been a little more selective in my diet. While I still eat meat, our family has added more meat-free options to our diet because I know that meat production is very CO2 intensive.” And Kirshenbaum also said that he tries to eat less meat.