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Sustainable Food Guide
Environmental Practice at Work © 2005 Link:EP@W Ltd Web Site
Issues

More about other 'Cycles'.

Emissions & Reduction of GHGs in
Agrciulture & Food (pdf) US Depts

   Food and Carbon Emissions...

Carbon emissions occur at all stage of food production. Details of carbon dioxide emissions and food found in NW Study

Transport.
Local trading could save 12.2 Mtc (Million tonnes of Carbon) CO2. In 2002, food transport produced 19 mtc - 10 Mtc emitted in the UK & 9 mtc food imports. DEFRA Report 2005.

Consumption
In UK, 17% of men, 21% of women are obese
and 46% of men & 32% are overweight.
Carbon is being stored as fat.
Waste Disposal
Around 25% of food purchased is thrown away. The more that goes to landfill or incineration the more carbon is lost from the earth & goes up as CO2.

Refrigeration

Local food offers saving 0.6Mtc GHG/Ozone depleters with freezing in supermarkets
graphic: food & carbon

Composting

Problems for food

Sequestration

The UK could sequester 6Mtc/yr in the soil and maintain present production

Agriculture
Fertilisers and pesticides cost 2.3 Mtc during their production.

Agriculture

18% of the soil organic carbon present in arable topsoils in 1980 had beenlost by 1995. That is about
4Mtc/yr lost in GHG emissions.
Agriculture
Livestock contributes 5.7 Mtc methane
  

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