Food alone could warm the climate by nearly 1°C by 2100

Continuing current dietary patterns around the world by the end of the century could add about 1 degree Celsius of additional warmingconcluded a group of researchers based in the United States, in a study published in the journal The nature of climate change.

The authors suggest a range of 0.7 to 0.9°C warming, with a margin of 0.2°C, depending on population growth scenarios.

While the planet has already warmed by about 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to the end of the nineteenth century^H Century, the diet on its own and in all cases leads to a higher temperature rise than the more ambitious target of the Paris Agreement (1.5°C).

important sources of methane

Most of this warming comes from foods that are important sources of methane: ruminant meats, such as beef and lamb, which emit powerful greenhouse gases, as well as dairy products or rice.

Other sources come from carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (N2O), the latter being particularly emitted during the use of synthetic fertilizers.

The researchers reached these conclusions based on an inventory of 94 foods, with more careful modeling of the impact of these different greenhouse gases.

” These results show that the urgent need to reduce emissions from the food sector is key to working towards a climate-secure future. »

However, the future is not written: more than 55% of this global warming could be avoided by improving agricultural production practices, reducing waste, and adopting healthy dietthe authors point out.

On this last point, they invoked medical recommendations in favor of reducing meat consumption — especially red meat — in favor of other proteins that are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.