Food and Climate

When choosing a treat to satisfy your chocolate craving, you probably consider whether to go for the bittersweet bite of dark chocolate or the smooth mellowness of milk chocolate. What you might not think about is its climate impact.

Of all human activities, few have as big an impact on the planet as agriculture. Globally, the agri-food system – everything that’s produced and consumed, from farm to fork to landfill – is the largest consumer of water, the largest user of land area, and one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. 

Our global food system is the largest source of human-caused methane – we ignore it at our peril

As we approach the holidays, I can’t help but think about food.My uncle’s green bean casserole, my new recipe for pomegranate-glazed sweet potatoes, the smell of sage, garlic, and rosemary wafting throughout the kitchen – every meal tells a story. For me, food is personal and emotional. It’s how I show love, how I connect with my culture, and, lately, it’s become a big part of how I think about taking climate action.

Southeast Asia is one of the most carbon-rich places on Earth. The region is home to dense tropical forests, as well as peatlands and mangroves, which together store massive amounts of carbon above and below ground. But when trees are cut down and peatlands are drained, these carbon stores are released into the atmosphere. 

Project Drawdown researchers reveal province-level priorities for reducing emissions throughout the region

Farmers require 88 million hectares more land to grow current levels of food than they would have absent global warming

When people think of climate solutions, they often focus on smokestacks, tailpipes, and other artifacts of our fossil-fueled economy. That’s fitting since roughly two-thirds of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from producing and burning oil, gas, coal, and other highly polluting fuels. But it overlooks other critical emissions sources – including deforestation – that are also accelerating the climate crisis.

Project Drawdown is honored to announce a US$300,000 grant, to be awarded over three years, from the Seeding the Future Foundation (STF).

I’ll admit it: I like beef. Like many Americans, I was brought up to believe that beef was a central part of a traditional family meal. My mom made it. My kids ate it. Marketing campaigns told me it was healthy. Everywhere I went, I saw Americans eating lots of it. And for many years, I didn’t question these choices.

Can efforts to boost food security also reduce climate threats and benefit nature? Yes, suggests a new study of hunger-alleviating options in Senegal by researchers from the Project Drawdown and the University of Minnesota. 

Animal agriculture has a climate problem.

Lisa Feldman is the senior director of culinary for Sodexo, a multinational food service company that works with institutions like hospitals, college campuses, senior living centers, and company offices. 

In 2022, I gave a presentation about climate change solutions to the Canadian Parliament. During that meeting, I had the opportunity to hear a presentation from a beef producers group about how they intended to rely on a new synthetic methane inhibitor (not approved in Canada at the time) as the heart of efforts to curb their greenhouse gas emissions. 

The global food system takes up 38% of Earth’s land surface and is responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gases generated by humans. Can we feed people without destroying the planet?Yes, says Project Drawdown executive director Jonathan Foley. 

It surprises many people to learn that the food we eat, the farms that grow it, and the landscapes we’ve cleared all contribute to climate change. And contribute in a big way.

A new Project Drawdown initiative is advancing science and sharing insights at the intersection of food, agriculture, land use, and climate change.When we think of the causes of climate change, the first thing that comes to mind is often fossil fuel use for electricity production, transportation, or industry.

To stop climate and build a sustainable future, food matters – a lot! What we eat and how we grow it is responsible for around 20–35% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. 

Agriculture has disrupted the planet more than anything we have ever done, including burning fossil fuels. A sustainable future depends on recognizing this fact – and radically changing how we farm and eat.More than any other invention in human history, agriculture has radically transformed civilization and our relationship with the natural world.How did this happen?

The global food system isn’t broken, yet it needs fixing.