No, really, imported food can have lower CO2 emissions than locally grown:
One study by Lincoln University, in New Zealand, found that
2,849kg of carbon dioxide is produced for every tonne of lamb raised
in Britain, while just 688kg of the gas is released with imported
New Zealand lamb, even after it has travelled the 11,000 miles to
Britain. Researchers and farmers in Britain have raised doubts over
the accuracy of the New Zealand figures, but they concede that sheep
farming in New Zealand is more efficient than in our own country.
…
But other studies of fruit and vegetable production have revealed
a more complex picture. Research by the centre for environmental
strategy at Surrey University has shown that British apples are
better for the environment during autumn and winter, but in spring
and summer it is "greener" to import them.
Dr Llorenç Milà I Canals, of Surrey University, said: "By
May, apples harvested in Britain have been kept in refrigerated
storage for more than six months, which uses a lot of energy. At
that point, it becomes better to import from New Zealand."
…
He has also found similar results for the production of lettuces,
which showed that the energy used to produce out-of-season lettuces
in winter in Britain was greater than importing lettuces from Spain.
He added: "If you are producing lettuce in a heated glasshouse
in the UK, the amount of energy you are using is huge, so in that
case buying British produce over winter is a bad idea."
Similarly, British farmers who grow tomatoes and strawberries
often rely on heated greenhouses to produce crops outside the short
fruit season in Britain. Dr Adrian Williams, an agriculture expert
from Cranfield University, in Bedfordshire, said: "If you
produce something in an unheated greenhouse abroad or in a field,
you make a considerable saving, as you are not having to use large
amounts of energy heating a greenhouse. You could expect there to be
a difference even if you allow for the transport from Spain."
Earlier this year, Mr Williams revealed that growing roses in
Kenya produces just 17 per cent as much carbon dioxide as growing
them in Holland. Importing beans by air from Uganda or Kenya is also
more efficient.
Prof Edwards-Jones explained why: "In Uganda, they tend to
have small farms that export beans. They don’t use tractors, as
it is all done by hand, they use cow muck instead of fertiliser and
don’t use hi-tech irrigation systems."
…
But even the method of transport is generating controversy. Some
researchers claim shipping is better than air freight, but others
insist that for perishable goods, packing them into a plane for a
quick journey is better than refrigerating them on a cargo ship. Air
freight contributes just 0.1 per cent to Britain’s carbon
dioxide emissions.
0.1 % of CO2 emissions is caused by air freight? OK, even I have a hard time believing that number but if it’s true, then really, all these peopple wibbling on about it are severely deluded. They’re quite possibly causing more emissions shouting about it than the process itself actually generates.
Leave a Reply