Food Systems Account For Over One-Third Of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Food system emissions were estimated at 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2015, or 34 per cent, though down from 44 per cent in 1990, indicating gradual decline even as these emissions kept increasing. The report was co-authored by Francesco Tubiello, a senior statistician and climate change specialist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, in collaboration with researchers at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy. The report highlights how global food systems are becoming more energy intensive, reflecting trends in retail, packaging, transport and processing, whose emissions are growing rapidly in some developing countries.
