Can our diet affect climate?

Arab Weather - the8log - Did you know that 25 percent of climate change is caused by agriculture and livestock? And that this ratio is equal to the effects resulting from electricity generation in the world and all power plants?

According to a study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), our diet is directly linked to climate change. Food production contributes to the increase in global warming, as agriculture produces about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, along with forests, and livestock and animals increase the proportion of methane.

High temperatures do not bode well!

Most reports from global government agencies predict a bleak future if people do not reduce their negative impacts on the climate. If the global average temperature continues to rise by two degrees Celsius, and if the situation continues in this case, the weather will become hotter, which will pose a great danger to food supplies, especially agricultural ones, which can lead to the emergence of a global food crisis, as the study shows.

Do we have any hope of finding solutions?

The study discusses that despite the seriousness of the climate situation, however, making some minor changes in daily human life, especially in terms of eating food, would help in mitigating many of the effects of climate change, as it requires a greater amount of intelligence in the way of growing and using food. According to experts, the most successful solutions may be to develop more sustainable food habits, for example by relying on more vegan diets and relying on cereals to feed animals and livestock without releasing them for natural grazing, with the aim of relieving the gases emitted from them from their pressure on the environment.

In this study, the experts offer several steps that can be taken in our diet with a positive effect on the climate

• Relying on a flexible diet based on vegetables and white meat:

This is a semi-vegan diet, as vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes are the main part of the meal. It should also rely on white meat, that is, chicken and fish more than beef, so that these types of meat are considered sustainable health, as according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, this method reduces the risk of cancer.

• Not relying on meat in the morning:

The simplest way to reduce meat consumption is not to consume it for breakfast and focus on whole grains, such as oatmeal, pancakes, stuffed with vegetables and many other options.

• Vegetarian Day:

One of the great ways to reduce meat consumption is to devote one day a week to eating vegetarian meals, and therefore, adhering to that day does not imply an eternal commitment to switching to a vegetarian diet.

• Adoption of the Mediterranean diet:

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest ways to reduce meat consumption, as the diet replaces meat with fish, which has a smaller environmental impact and is good for the heart. This vegetarian diet is full of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes, with only small amounts of fish as the main animal protein, and it does not contain many dairy products.

• Consume more legumes

Replacing meat with beans, peas and lentils as a source of protein, according to experts, is an environmentally friendly way to reduce beef consumption. When farmers grow whole foods like beans and lentils, they actually fertilize the soil and reduce the need to use fertilizers that cause massive damage to groundwater. Legumes are also a great source of fiber and protein.

• Eat more local whole foods

Processed foods play a role in the negative impact on the climate, so relying on whole and local food produced by farmers on their lands is an ideal way to preserve the climate.

• Less food:

Be careful to eat less food. For example, if a person consumes 200 calories more than he needs per day, this means that there are 200 calories of food that are not necessary to produce, and this has negative environmental implications.

The ideal amount of calories to be consumed during the day is closely related to an individual's exercise. For example, if a person does not exercise at all, the necessary calories are calculated by multiplying the basal metabolic rate, that is, the value of energy the body requires within one day to re-maintain its function while the body is in a state of complete rest or what is known as the Basal Metabolic Rate, (BMR) B 1.2; for people who exercise daily, the necessary calories are calculated by multiplying the BMR by 1.9.

• Recycle food waste:

This is through the use of special devices to recycle wastes and convert them into fertilizers and vital nutrients for plants. Creating an organic compost box in the yard is amazing and has many benefits.

Each one of us has a responsibility to conserve the environment and contribute to finding solutions to climate problems that are threatening the quality of life on the planet.