Food waste: what impact on the environment?
1.3 billion tonnes of edible food are lost or wasted each year, or 1/3 of global production . This staggering figure, reported by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), illustrates the urgency of the problem of food waste.
How does food waste actually contribute to climate change?
Food production, delivery to points of sale and waste treatment are activities that emit greenhouse gases and therefore contribute to global warming.
Sectoral distribution of greenhouse gas emissions
For all of these emission sources, the carbon footprint of food waste is estimated at 3.3 gigatons of C02 equivalent. (For comparison, that of France is 749 Megatons, or almost 5 times less). In terms of the use of natural resources, this means that 6% of global water withdrawals and 30% of the world's agricultural land are used each year to produce lost or wasted food.
On average, losses and waste occur at 54% upstream of the chain and 46% downstream.
Upstream, there is production, handling and storage. In this segment, agriculture is obviously the primary source of pollution due to many greenhouse gas (GHG) released, but alsoammonia which largely contributes to pollution peaks by forming fine particles.
Downstream in the chain, it is the processing, distribution and consumption activities which are responsible for emissions, in particular the transport and treatment of waste (incineration, methanization, landfill). This second phase is all the more critical because the later the loss or waste of a food occurs, the more it is responsible for a significant impact due to the accumulation of emissions. This issue is therefore everyone's business, from farm to fork..
Wasting a baguette is equivalent to
Wasting a French beef steak (100g) is equivalent to
All processes in the food chain therefore contribute to the increase in GHGs present in the atmosphere. However, the Earth constantly receives energy from the sun and in return rejects infrared radiation. Due to the increase in GHGs, some of this radiation is trapped, causing a rise in the earth's temperature.
In order to achieve the objectives set by the Paris Agreements and limit global warming to 2°C, it is necessary to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025.
Sources: FAO, Permanent Representation of France to the UN in Rome, Ministry of Ecological Transition
FOR A BETTER FUTURE
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