faculty of science
and engineering
energy and environmental
sciences
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Environmental impacts of food
consumption
Sanderine Nonhebel, Energy and Environmental Sciences
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Image issue
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Current production of our food uses:
› 30 % of the land
› 70 % of the fresh water
› 20 % of the energy
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Food production is the most
important cause of:
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Deforesting
Eutrofication
Acidification
Erosion
Aridification
Desertification
Loss of biodiversity
Climate change
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Dessertification
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Aridification
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Expected soil descent 2050
Greenhouse gas emissions
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Dominant environmental
problems are caused by
food production
However, stop eating is not the
solution
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Is there a difference in the
environmental pressure of different
foods?
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Method: chain analysis
Water footprint
Carbon footprint
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resource use per kg
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100
90
80
70
60
50
Cheese
Meat
Veg. oil
40
30
Rice
Potatoes
Bread
Vegetables
20
10
0
Energy
Land
Water
resource use vegetables
resource use meat
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120
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
100
80
60
beef
pork
chicken
40
20
dried
glasshouse
0
Energy
open air
Energy
Land
Water
resource use drinks per liter
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
wine
jenever
juice
milk
beer
coffee
cola
tea
energy land water
Land
Water
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Environmental effects and food
Gerbens-Leenes & Nonhebel 2002
A western-world consumption pattern
asks more land than a third-world
dinner
Duitsland
Afrika
Consumption patterns change…
The growth of the world
population (billions)
30%
130%
7
9
3
1960
2013
2050
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The growth of food production
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7
3
1960
2013
FAO
The growth of land usage
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7
3
1960
2013
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Looking back over the past 50
years
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World population has doubled
We all have more to eat
Because of improving yields
The agricultural area has not grown very much
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Looking forward
› Feeding 9 billion people in 2050 shouldn’t be a
problem.
› Future agricultural production improvements
must allow for a food production big enough to
nourish the world population.
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However
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Not only the world population increases
Many people start to eat differently
They want higher quality food
This way of eating asks more from the
land
Kastner et al 2012
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How big is the effect?
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Consumptie
dierlijke
het GDP
%A
in total cons
andproducten
GDP per en
capita
(1990-2005)
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share of animal prod in total cons [% of total cons]
40%
Slovenia
France
35%
Austria
Ireland
30%
Netherlands
Australia
Chile
USA
25%
Greece
Brazil
20%
Mexico
China
Philippines
15%
Thailand
So.
Africa
10%
Turkey
India
5%
Morroco
Benin
0%
-
5.000
10.000
15.000
20.000
25.000
30.000
GDP per capia [1990 US$; converted at Geary Khamis PPPs]
Nonhebel & Kastner 2011
6.0
Then, now, soon
3.0
Number of
people
(billions)
with a rich
diet
1.0
0.6
7
8
9
3
1960
2013
2035 2050
Nonhebel, 2012
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On a global scale changes in the
consumption pattern are
becoming more important than
the number of people..
Kastner et al 2012
Western Europe
Land use for this consumption
Consumption in kcal
3.500
3.500
3.000
3.000
cereals
2.500
2.500
2.000
2.000
1.500
1.500
1.000
1.000
meat
500
500
0
1961 1971
1981 1991
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2001
0
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001
Vlees is 30% van de kcal en 60% van het landgebruik
Source: Kastner T, Ibarrola Rivas MJ, Koch W, Nonhebel S (2012) Global changes in diets and the consequences for land requirements for food.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1117054109
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Less meat means less
environmental pressure
Vegetarian is becoming
more usual
› Restaurants
› Canteens
› Stores
› Policy
› Receipts
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What is the environmental
pressure of a vegetarian
meal?
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2 menus
Kale with sausage
Rice, cashew
nuts, spinach
and cheese
Environmental pressure
70
› Kale
70
60
60
50
50
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› Vegetarian
Spinach
40
40
cheese
30
30
sausage
20
20
10
10
0
0
water
energy
land
nuts
water
energy
land
resource use vegetables
resource use meat
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120
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
100
80
60
beef
pork
chicken
40
20
dried
glasshouse
0
Energy
open air
Energy
Land
Water
resource use drinks per liter
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
wine
jenever
juice
milk
beer
coffee
cola
tea
energy land water
Land
Water
For this vegetarian meal more
water, energy and land is used!
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These results can be found for many
vegetarian diets.
Vegetarian is not an easy to go solution.
Eating with low environmental
pressure
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Less meat, diary and eggs
No nuts
No vegetables from the greenhouse
No flown-in vegetables
In October-May: cabbage, chicory, onions,
carrot, frozen vegetables or tinned.
› Restrict coffee, tea, beer, wine
› No frying!
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Healthy food competes with a
healthy planet
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Fresh vegetables
Vegetable oils
Fish
Low carb
Nuts
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Changes of the consumption
pattern are no solution to the
environmental issues in the
Netherlands
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Example: the cow
› 70 % of the milk is being exported
› For every kilo of cheese, 30 kilo of manure is
stays in the Netherlands.
› Diary herd produces 5% of the green gas
emission. (3 times as much as all the windmills
save)
› Peat area mainly for diary herd, soil subsidence
and loss of biodiversity.
Maybe we shouldn’t be so proud on
the export of our cheese
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› And our pork meat
› And our tomatoes
Thanks for your attention