Carbon Footprint Basics
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced by your daily habits and activities.
What is a carbon footprint?
These foods produces the least greenhouse gases according to the article.
What are nuts and seeds?
A measurement of how much water is used to produce a food, adjusted by the scarcity of water in the locations where it is produced.
What is a water scarcity footprint?
What is one reason people’s diets became healthier when they replaced beef with another food?
The substitutions reduced the amount of saturated fats in their diets.
What is one simple action people can take to reduce their environmental footprint when it comes to food?
Eat less beef and try a vegetarian meal once a week.
These are responsible for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Food systems, which include agriculture, food transportation, and food waste.
This food has a much larger carbon footprint than the same amount of chicken.
What is beef?
Which of the following foods requires more water to produce: almonds or peanuts?
Almonds
What was the most common food substitution in the study?
Replacing beef with ground turkey.
How much of the global freshwater resources are used in food production?
About 70%.
This greenhouse gas is emitted by gasoline-powered cars and trucks, as well as food production.
What is Carbon Dioxide?
This is what happens to your diet's environmental impact when you replace beef with an alternative.
This reduces both the carbon footprint and water scarcity footprint.
How much did the water scarcity footprint decrease when replacing asparagus with peas?
48.2%
Besides reducing carbon emissions, what other health benefit did substituting beef with alternatives have?
It reduced saturated fat intake, making diets healthier.
What role should governments and industries play in reducing food-related environmental impacts?
Governments and industries should help reduce emissions and improve food production practices, but individuals also need to take action.
How does reducing your carbon footprint help the environment?
It helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, slowing global warming and climate change.
How much more greenhouse gas emissions does beef create compared to chicken?
Beef creates 8-10 times more greenhouse gases than the same amount of chicken.
How much did the water scarcity footprint decrease when beef was replaced by an alternative in a person’s diet?
The water scarcity footprint decreased by 29.9%.
Which substitution made the biggest difference in reducing both the carbon footprint and water scarcity footprint?
Replacing beef with chicken or other lean meats made the biggest difference in reducing both the carbon footprint and water scarcity footprint.
What is a food system, and how does it relate to the environmental footprint of food?
A food system includes everything from producing food on farms to food waste, and each part contributes to environmental impacts like carbon emissions and water use.
Why do food systems contribute to about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions?
Food production, including farming, transportation, and food waste, releases significant greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
Doing this can reduce a persons carbon footprint by 48.4%
The carbon footprint can decrease by 48.4% when beef is replaced with a more sustainable alternative.
What is the environmental benefit of reducing water scarcity footprints in our food choices?
It helps conserve water resources, especially in areas where water is scarce, and reduces the overall pressure on freshwater systems.
How can plant-based meat analogues benefit both the environment and health?
Plant-based meat analogues (like soy or vegetable-based products) have a much lower carbon footprint than real meat products and are often lower in saturated fats.
If everyone reduced their beef consumption by just a small amount, what impact could it have on global carbon emissions and water use?
It could significantly reduce global carbon emissions and water scarcity, helping to mitigate climate change.