September 12, 2013

UN says that if food waste was a country, it’d be the #3 global greenhouse gas emitter

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

According to the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food waste represents more greenhouse gas emissions than any country in the world except for China and the United States. In their report "Food wastage footprint," the U.N. states that more than 1.3 billion tonnes of food are thrown away each year, representing 3.3 billion tonnes in annual carbon dioxide emissions.

In their press release, the FAO states that:

"...food that is produced but not eaten each year guzzles up a volume of water equivalent to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River and is responsible for adding 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases to the planet’s atmosphere. Similarly, 1.4 billion hectares of land – 28 per cent of the world’s agricultural area – is used annually to produce food that is lost or wasted."

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The bulk of this waste comes from consumers who buy more food than they consume (mostly in developed economies) and from a lack of storage facilities (mostly in the developing world). High-income countries (excluding Latin America) are responsible for 67% of global meat waste.

So, what now?

The FAO has released a "tool-kit" of actions that can be taken throughout the food chain to reduce food waste. Included are examples of projects that have been taken on by national and local governments, farmers, businesses, and individual consumers to reduce food waste.

Related Posts:

America's "Supersized" Food Waste - May 16, 2012
"Guest Post: Food for thought - the good, the bad, and the ugly" - October 3, 2011
"10 Calories in, 1 Calorie out - the energy we spend on food" - August 11, 2011
"Food waste in the land of "Man v Food"" - August 2, 2011

Photo Credit: David Wogan - used with permission

H/T JG

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American