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Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5°C climate target, shows study

Emissions from the food system alone will drive the world past 1.5°C of global heating, unless high-methane foods are tackled.

Climate-heating emissions from food production, dominated by meat, dairy and rice, will by themselves break the key international target of 1.5°C if left unchecked, a detailed study has shown.
The analysis estimated that if today’s level of food emissions continued, they would result in at least 0.7°C of global heating by the end of the century, on top of the 1°C rise already seen. This means emissions from food alone, ignoring the huge impact of fossil fuels, would push the world past the 1.5°C limit.

The study showed that 75% of this food-related heating was driven by foods that are high sources of methane, i.e. those coming from ruminant livestock such as cattle, and rice paddy fields. However, the scientists said the temperature rise could be cut by 55% by cutting meat consumption in rich countries to medically recommended levels, reducing emissions from livestock and their manure, and using renewable energy in the food system.

Source: The Guardian 6 March 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023mar/06/meat-dairy-rice-high-...

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Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5°C climate target, shows study

In this issue

Making the most of waste heat

Editorial: EU could be powered by recycled heat

Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era

Global heating threatens northern forests

Unlocking the potential of ocean energy

A quantative take on Russian forests

Ocean acidification in the climate negotiations

The forefront of cleaner, people-centred cities

The Swedish Greenwashing Prize – more than a decade of ironic awards highlighting misleading claims

The EU needs to do more to reduce methane emissions

E-fuels are a detour on our way to decarbonisation

Green incentives are at the heart as UK rolls out its CAP replacement

Nitrogen deposition threat to 60 per cent of European ecosystems

Dramatic vanishing of polar sea ice and ice sheets

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Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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