Are carbon menus a good tool to limit our food footprint ?

        To reach the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol and more recently the Paris Agreement which aims to hold the increase in global temperatures to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, citizens of the world must limit their foodprint, which is responsible for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.

That is the main object of this article, published by The Daily Telegraph in November 2021 and entitled “Why it’s time to watch your food footprint ?”

The article raises awareness on how much carbon emissions are emitted to produce our food. The main question is: are carbon menus a good tool to limit our food footprint ?

We will first identify the author's arguments and then discuss the challenge of reducing greenhouse emissions.

An important fact that we have to remember is the food that we think has the “highest impact” such as beef or meat can actually pollute less than a chocolate bar for example depending on how it was produced and where.

The issue of foodprint was at the centre of discussion during the COP26 in Glasgow. “Carbon menus” could be a great solution. It consists of printing carbon estimates on menus alongside each dish to raise awareness. It may become compulsory across UK.

But the major issue is how to measure the carbon output of our food. Experts have said it was extremely difficult. It depends on what were animals fed, if it was reared on deforested land…

To sum up, the author points out the difficulties of carbon menus and of measuring the origin of our emissions.

So now let’s talk about why it is so challenging and important to reduce global greenhouse emissions.

pb:

I_ Big issue because threatening lives

1. Industrialisation drove up the use of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide levels rose. Humans have been polluted for a long time. But the difference is that before, nature, soils and trees could maintain our emissions.

Development + rise in population = not able to keep up with  masse consumption

1. Deterioration of the ozone layer => global warming. Tackling it is important because causes more natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, heat and cold waves + pollution cause health problems.
2. Making the planet unhabitable. Destroying cities and species (especially deforestation)

II_ Political issue

1. concern everyone, public issue and political issue :  COP, Agreements and meetings, more and more activists, rise of green parties. Use to attract voters but few concrete actions.
2. Political tool, tackling global warming to be seen as a leader. Use mainly by developed countries but the more affected are the developing countries.
3. Who should be held accountable? Companies ? Create funds => COP 27

To put in a nutshell, global warming was caused by human activities and is threatening human life. Even if citizens need to limit their consumption and rethink they way of living, they are urging governments and corporations to take action before the point of no return that we may have already passed.