Chennai: It’s not industry and transport alone that’s the culprit, but the extra food wasted every day too contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases. According to Cristina Tirado, associate professor of UCLA School of Public Health in the US, and UN Standing Committee Member of the Working Group on Climate Change, one-third of food produced for human consumption, about 1.3 billion tonnes annually, gets lost or is wasted globally --which is equal to 6 to 10 per cent of human generated greenhouse gas emission.
Speaking to DC about the consumption patterns among the people, Tirado said, “The global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change. Production of animal products consumes a lot of water and fuel, compared to vegan products.”
She added that eating less or reducing the portion of meat is one of the solutions to combat climate change. “As far as possible, consumption of locally grown fruits, vegetables and cereals is healthy and safe for the environment.
Depending on imported food is not viable economically and also it takes a toll on the environment because of transportation of food, and in some cases of poor preservation, the food is wasted,” she said, detailing the connection between wastage of food and greenhouse gas emission.
