Environ. Sci. Tech Article Discusses Climate Change Life Cycle Analysis of Food Transport.

[NNadir]

I know someone who once pretended that holding a Thanksgiving dinner for 40 fellow yuppies (none of whom, I think, rode bicycles to the big dinner) using locally grown food was going to make a big environmental statement.

People pat themselves on the back for all sorts of things.

Whatever.

I'm contemptuous of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but for what's it's worth, a life cycle analysis paper has appeared on the very fashionable "locavore" conceit but maybe every little bit counts.

A current paper in Environ. Sci. Tech. covers the "how much" of this tale, and like most fantasies, it turns out that the matter is oblivious of scale.

The abstract is here: http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/asap/abs/es702969f.html

A free news article on the subject is here: http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2008/apr/science/ee_foodmiles.html

A note from the body of the article is excerpted here:

With growing public concern over climate change, information and opportunities for consumers to lower their “carbon footprint,” a measure of the total consumer responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, have become increasingly available.Thegrowing field of sustainable consumption (1-3) has offered information to consumers on the climate and environmental impacts of their consumptive choices. In general,muchof this research has concluded that food,home energy, and transportation together form a large share of most consumers’ personal impacts (2). Of these three, food represents a unique opportunity for consumers to lower their personal impacts due to its high impact, high degree of personal choice, and a lack of longterm “lock-in” effects which limit consumers’ day-to-day choices (1).

Within the field of consumer food choice, several recent trends associated with environmental sustainability have occurred. The continually increasing penetration of both organic and locally grown food in the U.S. and EU shows that consumers are taking more notice in both how their
food is produced and where it comes from...

...We estimate the average household’s climate impacts related to food to be around 8.1 t CO2e/yr, with delivery “food-miles” accounting for around 0.4 te CO2e/yr and total freight accounting for 0.9 t CO2e/yr. To put these figures into perspective, driving a 25 mi/gal (9.4 L/100 km) automobile 12 000 miles/yr (19 000 km/yr) produces around 4.4 t CO2/yr. Expressed in this manner, a totally “localized” diet reduces GHG emissions per household equivalent to 1000 miles/yr (1600 km/yr) driven, while shifting just one day per week’s calories from red meat and dairy to chicken/fish/eggs or a vegetable-based diet reduces GHG emissions equivalent to TABLE 2. Shifts in Expenditure (Top) or Calories (Bottom) from Row Category to Column Category Which Result in a GHG Reduction of 0.36 tCO2e/Household-yr, the Equivalent of a Totally “Localized” Diet
760 miles/yr (1230 km/yr) or 1160 miles/yr (1860 km/yr),respectively. Shifting totally away from redmeat and dairy toward chicken/fish/eggs or a vegetable-based diet reduces GHG emissions equivalent to 534

From these results it would seem that 40 yuppies in cars going to a locavore dinner is probably a net loser.

But at the end of the day it doesn't matter.

Ignorance has won and the ignorant have that for which they have fought.

It's all over except for the funeral.

[GliderGuider]

1. There are other reasons to eat local food than just to reduce the CO2 associated with transport

Yes, CO2 reduction is the conceit on which many hang this decision, but the more significant advantages of local food have to do with reintegrating food production into our communities, reconnecting people with their food supply, and encouraging family farms. This is all important so that when the post-peak SHTF and the distribution systems start to break down, more people will be able to walk to where the food is.

And we won't be held to ransom because Monsanto, ADM, Cargill etc. own the world's food supply and can lock people out of it.

[NNadir]

2. I have no objection to anything you say.

I'm not against local food growing.

On the contrary, I think it's a good idea, as long as too much fertilizer doesn't get into the ground.

0.4 tons is better than 0 tons. It may not be a lot, but it's something.

I try to be a locavore, and, as noted in the articles, I do not eat meat, which has a bigger impact.