Viewpoint: How our food choices impact the global environment
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Introduction:
The news topic “Viewpoint: How our food choices impact the global environment” has drawn international attention, with various media outlets providing diverse insights, historical context, political stances, and on-the-ground developments. Below is a curated overview of how different countries and media organizations have covered this topic recently.
Quick Summary:
- Consumer spending accounts for over a quarter of all UK emissions. This is the fifth year Deloitte has conducted a survey into consumer attitudes to sustainability and sustainable behaviours. This year three key trends emerged: adopting a more sustainable lifestyle is about being thriftier. Adoption of sustainable actions has plateaued. There is a growing number of consumers stating that engaging in sustainable actions is too expensive and increasing scepticism. More people believe adopting aMore sustainable lifestyle makes no difference. Government support to set policy which drives change and helps address cost constraints will be critical in influencing business and consumer change too. The report explores the need to drive systemic change to make sustainable actions more accessible and affordable.
- It’s Global Climate Change Week (14-18 October) and we can all make a difference by adopting a sustainable diet. The production, transportation, and waste associated with food are major contributors to global carbon emissions. By reducing meat consumption and choosing more plant-based or sustainably sourced foods, we can make a meaningful difference.
Country-by-Country Breakdown:
The Sustainable Consumer
Consumer spending accounts for over a quarter of all UK emissions. This is the fifth year Deloitte has conducted a survey into consumer attitudes to sustainability and sustainable behaviours. This year three key trends emerged: adopting a more sustainable lifestyle is about being thriftier. Adoption of sustainable actions has plateaued. There is a growing number of consumers stating that engaging in sustainable actions is too expensive and increasing scepticism. More people believe adopting aMore sustainable lifestyle makes no difference. Government support to set policy which drives change and helps address cost constraints will be critical in influencing business and consumer change too. The report explores the need to drive systemic change to make sustainable actions more accessible and affordable. Read full article
How can your diet help fight climate change?
It’s Global Climate Change Week (14-18 October) and we can all make a difference by adopting a sustainable diet. The production, transportation, and waste associated with food are major contributors to global carbon emissions. By reducing meat consumption and choosing more plant-based or sustainably sourced foods, we can make a meaningful difference. Read full article
An economic perspective of the circular bioeconomy in the food and agricultural sector
circular and bio-based technologies may have higher costs (capital, labor, learning, and search costs), risks, uncertainties, and inconvenience. Reluctance to implement circular methods may also arise due to a lack of infrastructure, disruption to existing jobs, limited scalability, and uncertainty about government policies. Constraints on financing, access to credit and a short planning horizon (or high discount rates) limit investment in technologies that may take a few years to generate a payback through regeneration of soil health, savings in input costs, and development of markets for circular products. Institutional factors, such as declining number of owner-operators on the farmland and lack of crop insurance for new agricultural practices, lack of extension services, technical assistance and infrastructure as well as behavioral drivers, affect producers’ adoption of technologies. Read full article
Reducing climate change impacts from the global food system through diet shifts
In this study, we first assess the GHG emissions from diets comprising 140 products16 in 139 countries or areas in 2019. The year 2019 (the latest year before the COVID-19 pandemic) is selected as a baseline year, which can reflect the level of present dietary intake without the interference of the pandemic80,81. Subsequently, dietary emissions from different expenditure groups are quantified by matching diets with the household-expenditure dataset42 to reflect the differences and potential inequality of dietary emissions. Finally, to measure the magnitude of the emission impact of the global diet shift, we model the transition from diets in 2019 to the widespread adoption of the planetary health diet. The research framework of this study is shown in Supplementary Fig. 23. The following data sources are mainly used in this study. The consumption-based food emissions inventory16 is based on data derived from the FAOSTAT82 and data on food trade and production. Read full article
Healthy Food Environment
Food environment is the intersection between an individual and the wider food system. One’s unique food environment is shaped by the physical, political, economic, and sociocultural factors that influence which foods are available, affordable, chosen, and prepared for consumption. unhealthy foods and beverages are often more readily available, accessible, and affordable than healthful items. It is crucial to effect policy changes and create an environment where the default option is the healthy choice. The food environment often lurks silently in the background going largely unnoticed, but it plays a major role in the food choices people make, even for the most independent-minded consumer. A healthy food environment can begin to shift momentum away from a world that so readily promotes unhealthy eating. To make this shift, change and support must come from all parts of society. Read full article
Response-to-Failure Analysis of Global Food System Initiatives: A Resilience Perspective
International food system initiatives have led the efforts to combat the threats to global food security resulting from the failure of the current food systems. The findings show that while considerable effort is being made in addressing food system failures, the current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges. The food system resilience framework presented provides useful pathway in expanding the understanding of the role of all key stakeholders and in identifying tipping points for building the desired resilience moving forward, the authors say. The support for this agenda began in the late 1990’s through the launch of a globally agreed mandate, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and then in 2015, it was followed by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG number two), which advocates for “zero hunger.” Although the global policy (MDGS) seemed to achieve its target, a broade has emerged that has made it difficult to meet the SDG target. Read full article
Global Perspectives Summary:
Global media portray this story through varied cultural, economic, and political filters. While some focus on geopolitical ramifications, others highlight local impacts and human stories. Some nations frame the story around diplomatic tensions and international relations, while others examine domestic implications, public sentiment, or humanitarian concerns. This diversity of coverage reflects how national perspectives, media freedom, and journalistic priorities influence what the public learns about global events.
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Sources:
- The Sustainable Consumer
- How can your diet help fight climate change?
- An economic perspective of the circular bioeconomy in the food and agricultural sector
- Reducing climate change impacts from the global food system through diet shifts
- Healthy Food Environment
- Response-to-Failure Analysis of Global Food System Initiatives: A Resilience Perspective
Source: https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2025/05/08/viewpoint-how-our-food-choices-impact-the-global-environment/