Understanding Your Foodprint: The Environmental Impacts of What We Eat

Photo: Matthieu Paley, National GeographicKimberly Nicholas

Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studieswww.kimnicholas.com

@KA_Nicholas@KA_Nicholas

Photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker

12% ice-free land used for crops (size of South America)

Ramankutty et al., 2008; Leff et al., 2004 @KA_Nicholas

Photo: Yann Arthus-Bertrand

22% ice-free land used for grazing livestock(size of Africa)

Ramankutty et al., 2008; Leff et al., 2004 @KA_Nicholas

ALL water on Earth(1384 km sphere)

Liquid fresh water (270 km sphere)

Fresh water in lakes & rivers(56km sphere)

Data from Shiklomanov, In Gleick 1993,“Water in Crisis.” Visualization by USGS Water Science Photo Gallery

Resources Are Limited…

All soil(thanks to Jerry Glover)

@KA_Nicholas

What matters most for climate: what you eat, not where or how it

was grown

Data from Table 1, Vermuellen et al., 2012, ARER. Mean value shown where range given.

Global Food System Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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Beef warms the climate 5x more than cheese, 100x more than legumes

Bryngelsson and Wirsenius, Supermiljöbloggen, 22 februari 2016

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Beef Dairy Pork Chicken Legumes@KA_Nicholas

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington

What we eat determines global health

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We need a new food paradigm

Slide from Jon Foley. Figure from Foley et al., 2011, Nature@KA_Nicholas

Right now, we have too little food security…

Slide from Jon Foley. Figure from Foley et al., 2011, Nature@KA_Nicholas

… and too much environmental harm

Slide from Jon Foley. Figure from Foley et al., 2011, Nature@KA_Nicholas

We need more real, fair & resilient food

Slide from Jon Foley. Figure from Foley et al., 2011, Nature@KA_Nicholas

… and less environmental damage

Slide from Jon Foley. Figure from Foley et al., 2011, Nature@KA_Nicholas

Cassidy et al 2013

Only 59% of calories produced become foodCurrent crops could feed 4 billion more if fed directly to

people

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Debbie Anderson, myclimatechangegarden.com

Ron Finley, Guerrilla Gardening (Smithsonianmag.org)

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Solutions are all around us

Debbie Anderson, myclimatechangegarden.com

Ron Finley, Guerrilla Gardening (Smithsonianmag.org)

@KA_Nicholas

David Perry, Reuters

Solutions are all around us

The Land Institute

Data: Scarborough et al., 2014, Climatic Change. Graphic: Brad Plumer, vox.com@KA_Nicholas

Sweden’s diet guidelines:health + environment

2015. “Find your way to eat greener, not too much and be active” @KA_Nicholas

We vote with our forks three times every day

Photo: Seven Stans, National GeographicFor more: One Great Meal, http://www.kimnicholas.com/one-great-meal.html

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