(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers at Columbia University in the United States studied in detail emissions from the agricultural sector, which is dominated by livestock and rice cultivation.
They concluded that global food production has the potential to undermine the Paris Agreement’s goal of curbing global warming.
Climate emissions from the global food system could warm the planet above 1.5°C, even without taking into account emissions from fossil fuels. This is stated in a study by scientists at Columbia University in New York.
If current levels of emissions from food production continue, they will increase average global temperatures by between 0.7°C and 0.9°C by the end of the century, on top of the 1°C already observed.
This means that emissions from food alone will push the world over the 1.5°C limit.
Scientists have found that 75% of the possible heating of the atmosphere due to the food industry is associated with products with a large methane footprint.
Mainly we are talking about meat and dairy products and rice fields.
“Methane plays a dominant role in food system-related warming,” said study leader Katherine Ivanovich.
The study looks at each greenhouse gas separately for 94 key foods, allowing for a better understanding of their impact on climate over time.
Only a third of the world’s countries have included measures to reduce emissions from agriculture in the climate plans they submitted under the UN Paris Agreement.
The scientists said their work aims to increase understanding of the impact of global food consumption on global warming in the future.
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