Author & Book Views On a Healthy Life! - LIVING GREEN - Why Buy Locally Grown Produce?
http://www.basilandspice.com/living-green/
Check out some of my recent posts on food and climate at www.basilandspice.com!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Food production and global warming
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Feeling the heat of food security
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7553958.stm
Reforming the economics of food production and supply would be beneficial for a number of environmental and social problems, argues Peter Baker. A key issue, he says, is understanding the energy involved in putting food on your plate.
Price, taste and nutritional value are the main driving factors behind most consumers’ decisions about what foods they eat. But many environmentalists believe that they should also consider the amount of “embodied” energy; or energy used to produce, transport, consume and dispose of agricultural products. One way of measuring this phenomenon is to compare the amount of embodied or “lifecycle” energy (measured in calories) required for fruit or produce production with the energy received by consumers when they ingest a product. For instance, tomato production in the USA requires four times as much caloric energy as the caloric value of the tomatoes created. In a fossil-fuel driven world, food production is a growing contributor to the greenhouse gases that are warming our world.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7553958.stm
Reforming the economics of food production and supply would be beneficial for a number of environmental and social problems, argues Peter Baker. A key issue, he says, is understanding the energy involved in putting food on your plate.
Price, taste and nutritional value are the main driving factors behind most consumers’ decisions about what foods they eat. But many environmentalists believe that they should also consider the amount of “embodied” energy; or energy used to produce, transport, consume and dispose of agricultural products. One way of measuring this phenomenon is to compare the amount of embodied or “lifecycle” energy (measured in calories) required for fruit or produce production with the energy received by consumers when they ingest a product. For instance, tomato production in the USA requires four times as much caloric energy as the caloric value of the tomatoes created. In a fossil-fuel driven world, food production is a growing contributor to the greenhouse gases that are warming our world.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Fighting Global Warming with Food - Environmental Defense Fund
There are lots of ways Americans can help fight climate change and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Buying a car or truck with better gas mileage. Using compact fluorescent bulbs. For those who choose it, even eating just a little less meat can help. View article at http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=6604.
More scientific research is being done every day on the relationship between food consumption and GHG emissions. Conclusions of this U. Chicago study mirror my own analysis in The Climate Diet, which states that even minor changes in diet can have a big environmental impact. The main culprit here is meat, and especially beef. In my book, I compare two meals cooked for a family of four, one with a steak main dish and the other with a fish fillet. Choosing fish over steak reduces the GHG impact of the meal from 99.9 lb (45.5 kg) to 15.2 lb (6.9 kg). These figures only include emissions from food production, processing and distribution, not preparation. Avoid cooking and you can reduce your climate impact even more!
More scientific research is being done every day on the relationship between food consumption and GHG emissions. Conclusions of this U. Chicago study mirror my own analysis in The Climate Diet, which states that even minor changes in diet can have a big environmental impact. The main culprit here is meat, and especially beef. In my book, I compare two meals cooked for a family of four, one with a steak main dish and the other with a fish fillet. Choosing fish over steak reduces the GHG impact of the meal from 99.9 lb (45.5 kg) to 15.2 lb (6.9 kg). These figures only include emissions from food production, processing and distribution, not preparation. Avoid cooking and you can reduce your climate impact even more!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Climate Talks Lag on CDM Reform
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mechanics of curbing climate change
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7444881.stm
Negotiators from more than 172 countries are meeting in Bonn to hammer out a deal that may culminate in a new global climate agreement. In this week's Green Room, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer argues that negotiators want to see more of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, not less...
While the climate crisis continues to deepen, political leaders continue to delay real changes in policy that will make a difference. One case in point is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows heavy polluters to pay firms, mostly in the developing world, to reduce their GHG emissions in return for carbon credits. Sounds like a good idea? Maybe, if in fact, the investments really do result in additional real reductions in emissions that would not have otherwise have been achieved without the CDM agreements. But the current system is so lax, that many of these investments may not bring the real reductions they promise. Countries need to find the political will to make sure that CDM really works as advertised before expanding the system in any post-Kyoto agreement.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7444881.stm
Negotiators from more than 172 countries are meeting in Bonn to hammer out a deal that may culminate in a new global climate agreement. In this week's Green Room, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer argues that negotiators want to see more of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, not less...
While the climate crisis continues to deepen, political leaders continue to delay real changes in policy that will make a difference. One case in point is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows heavy polluters to pay firms, mostly in the developing world, to reduce their GHG emissions in return for carbon credits. Sounds like a good idea? Maybe, if in fact, the investments really do result in additional real reductions in emissions that would not have otherwise have been achieved without the CDM agreements. But the current system is so lax, that many of these investments may not bring the real reductions they promise. Countries need to find the political will to make sure that CDM really works as advertised before expanding the system in any post-Kyoto agreement.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wind power trumps nuclear
While much of the US economy continues to lag, there are a few bright spots. One is wind power. Wind power investment and production is booming globally. It shows how forward thinking and investment in new technologies can create economic growth while helping the environment. Firms and governments that ignore alternative energy and higher efficiency do so at their own peril in an increasingly globalized marketplace. It should also be noted that wind power investment is far cheaper than nuclear power, and brings a much faster return on investment. The typical nuclear power plant takes more than a decade to build. The first new batch of US plants will not come online until 2017 at the earliest, while other technologies can start paying dividends right now, at lower cost and with greatly reduced risk to the public. Here is a recent article on progress made in the wind power industry http://www.enn.com/energy/article/36949.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Species extinctions accelerating
An epidemic of extinctions: Decimation of life on earth - Nature, Environment - The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/an-epidemic-of-extinctions-decimation-of-life-on-earth-829325.html
Species are dying out at a rate not seen since the demise of the dinosaurs, according to a report published today – and human behaviour is to blame. Emily Dugan counts the cost...
Species are dying off at 10,000 times the natural rate of extinction. Between 1960 and 2000, animal populations declined by 30%. The five main reasons for this decline are all human induced: climate change, pollution, destruction of natural habitats, the spread of invasive species and the overexploitation of species. Noted biologist Edward Wilson estimates that there are more than 10,000,000 species on the planet. And the most devastating effects of global warming are just beginning to appear. This devastation is mostly avoidable. Why are we doing this to our planet?
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/an-epidemic-of-extinctions-decimation-of-life-on-earth-829325.html
Species are dying out at a rate not seen since the demise of the dinosaurs, according to a report published today – and human behaviour is to blame. Emily Dugan counts the cost...
Species are dying off at 10,000 times the natural rate of extinction. Between 1960 and 2000, animal populations declined by 30%. The five main reasons for this decline are all human induced: climate change, pollution, destruction of natural habitats, the spread of invasive species and the overexploitation of species. Noted biologist Edward Wilson estimates that there are more than 10,000,000 species on the planet. And the most devastating effects of global warming are just beginning to appear. This devastation is mostly avoidable. Why are we doing this to our planet?
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Eleven Things You Can do to Become A Climate Friendly Consumer
Most of us do not realize that our shopping and eating habits have a major impact on the climate. The average family of four generates more than 4 pounds of trash per person per day; most of it never gets recycled. A big part of this waste stream is product packaging. Also many of our favorite foods, especially beef products, require massive amounts of resources to produce. Up to 56% of all US farmland is dedicated to producing cattle feed and related products.
Here are 11 tips that can help you to cut down on the trash make both healthy and climate friendly eating choices:
1. Avoid packaged food products.
2. Consider reducing or eliminating consumption of meat, especially red meat.
3. Increase vegetable consumption.
4. Buy locally produced organic fruits and vegetables.
5. Avoid non-seasonal foods that have to be shipped from thousands of miles away.
6. Frequent farmers markets.
7. Compost more often.
8. Avoid producers that practice inhumane animal treatment practices.
9. Use products made from sustainably harvested or recycled materials.
10.Give non-material gifts, or use recycled wrapping paper and boxes.
11.Just buy less: free yourself from advertisers and reconnect with your friends and family.
For more information, visit http://www.climatediet.com
Here are 11 tips that can help you to cut down on the trash make both healthy and climate friendly eating choices:
1. Avoid packaged food products.
2. Consider reducing or eliminating consumption of meat, especially red meat.
3. Increase vegetable consumption.
4. Buy locally produced organic fruits and vegetables.
5. Avoid non-seasonal foods that have to be shipped from thousands of miles away.
6. Frequent farmers markets.
7. Compost more often.
8. Avoid producers that practice inhumane animal treatment practices.
9. Use products made from sustainably harvested or recycled materials.
10.Give non-material gifts, or use recycled wrapping paper and boxes.
11.Just buy less: free yourself from advertisers and reconnect with your friends and family.
For more information, visit http://www.climatediet.com
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