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| Reducing Overconsumption of Calories Reduces the Agricultural Land Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with the Average US Diet by 4 to 6 Percent per capita values, 2009
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Context 1
... modifying food consumption data for 2009 (the "reference" scenario), we conducted two types of analysis. First, we quantified the per person effects of applying two calorie-reduction scenarios (described below) to the consumption pattern of a high-consuming country-the United States ( Figure 6). Second, we quantified the global effects of the two caloriereduction scenarios across all of the world's regions (Table 2). ...
Context 2
... analyzed these shifts by reviewing published literature and market data reports, commissioning sales research, and consulting marketing strategy professionals and academic behavior specialists. The resulting insightsgleaned from recurring themes across the different examples of consumption shifts-informed the development of the "Shift Wheel" framework ( Figure 16). The Shift Wheel comprises four complementary strategies to shift consumption: (1) minimize disruption; (2) sell a compelling benefit; (3) maximize awareness and display; and (4) evolve social norms. ...
Context 3
... three diet shifts are interconnected because they are not mutually exclusive. Figures 6, 10, and 15, which show the effects of the three diet shifts on caloric consumption in the United States, make this point clear. The two scenarios that reduce overconsumption of calories ( Figure 6) also reduce animal-based food consumption, including beef. ...
Context 4
... 6, 10, and 15, which show the effects of the three diet shifts on caloric consumption in the United States, make this point clear. The two scenarios that reduce overconsumption of calories ( Figure 6) also reduce animal-based food consumption, including beef. The Ambitious Animal Protein Reduction ( Figure 10) and Ambitious Beef Reduction ( Figure 15) scenarios also reduce calories in all affected regions. ...
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... However, it has its own challenges such as loss of biodiversity, soil and land degradation, water pollution by agricultural inputs, greenhouse gases, loss of pollinators, and human health risks (Gomiero 2016;DeLonge et al. 2016). Reports suggest that there will be a gap of 11 GT of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from agriculture by 2050 to reach the target required to limit global warming below 2 °C to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change (Ranganathan et al. 2016). Thus, learning from the past experience with industrial/conventional agricultural intensification there is a common consensus among all the stakeholders, policymakers and researchers to transform the global food system which is sustainable (Gomiero 2016). ...
Purpose
Very few studies have been done on the long-term effect of one time biochar application on soil physical and hydrological properties. The current investigation aims to know the alterations in infiltration rate (IR), soil water content (SWC) at different potential, water stability of aggregates, etc. caused after 6 years of application of oak wood biochar in Crosby silt loam soil of temperate ecosystem.
Methods
The trial was carried out using a complete randomized block design with three treatments: B0 (no biochar), B25 (biochar at 25 Mg ha−1), and B5 (biochar at 5 Mg ha−1) and six replications. After 6 years, soil’s physical and hydrological characteristics were measured.
Results
The application of B25 resulted in the highest total porosity compared to the other treatments which in turns results in lower bulk density. B25 also enhanced the water stability of aggregates by 4.1%, as compared to the B0. B25 significantly enhanced soil water retention at all measured soil water potentials (0, −6, −10, -33, −100, and −1500 kPa) except for −1500 kPa (0–10 cm), −6 kPa (10–20 cm), and 0 kPa (10–20 cm) relative to B0. The highest increase in soil water content was recorded for B25 at 0 kPa (9.2%) followed by that at −6 kPa (7.4%). While, the B25 increased the mean hydraulic conductivity by 55.9% over control, B5 resulted in a 15.5% increase. The IR of soil also increased under B25 and B5 over B0 by 15.5 and 5.0%, respectively.
... However, it has its own challenges such as loss of biodiversity, soil and land degradation, water pollution by agricultural inputs, greenhouse gases, loss of pollinators, and human health risks (Gomiero 2016;DeLonge et al. 2016). Reports suggest that there will be a gap of 11 GT of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from agriculture by 2050 to reach the target required to limit global warming below 2 °C to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change (Ranganathan et al. 2016). Thus, learning from the past experience with industrial/conventional agricultural intensification there is a common consensus among all the stakeholders, policymakers and researchers to transform the global food system which is sustainable (Gomiero 2016). ...
Purpose: Very few studies have been done on the long-term effect of one time biochar application on soil physical and hydrological properties. The current investigation aims to know the alterations in infiltration rate (IR), soil water content (SWC) at different potential, water stability of aggregates, etc. caused after 6 years of application of oak wood biochar in Crosby silt loam soil of temperate ecosystem.
Methods: The trial was carried out using a complete randomized block design with three treatments: B0 (no biochar), B25 (biochar at 25 Mg ha−1), and B5 (biochar at 5 Mg ha−1) and six replications. After 6 years, soil’s physical and hydrological characteristics were measured.
Results: The application of B25 resulted in the highest total porosity compared to the other treatments which in turns results in lower bulk density. B25 also enhanced the water stability of aggregates by 4.1%, as compared to the B0. B25 significantly
enhanced soil water retention at all measured soil water potentials (0, −6, −10, -33, −100, and −1500 kPa) except for −1500 kPa (0–10 cm), −6 kPa (10–20 cm), and 0 kPa (10–20 cm) relative to B0. The highest increase in soil water content was
recorded for B25 at 0 kPa (9.2%) followed by that at −6 kPa (7.4%). While, the B25 increased the mean hydraulic conductivity by 55.9% over control, B5 resulted in a 15.5% increase. The IR of soil also increased under B25 and B5 over B0 by
15.5 and 5.0%, respectively.
Conclusions: Biochar application in Crosby silt loam soil can enhanced soil physical and hydrological properties and maintained in long run.
... A growing population, together with increasing economic well-being and overconsumption of calories 26 (Ranganathan et al., 2016) has historically driven and will continue to drive competition for land 27 resources to fulfil the increasing demand for food, feed, fuel and fibre (Smith et al., 2010). Ensuring 28 sustainability and mitigating climate impacts on food production and land use within the next 30 years 29 will necessitate substantial alterations in land use practices (Foley et al., 2011). ...
Producing an adequate food supply to a growing population sustainably is challenging. Despite high-level recommendations for a shift to plant-based diets in most countries, global meat production continues to rise. Yet, we lack a comprehensive geospatial understanding of trade-offs between crops and livestock production efficiency. To address this, we developed a method to examine whether certain grazing lands could be more efficiently used for crop production and quantified the most efficient production system for each agricultural area globally. We found that the largest potential for increased protein production would be to turn grazing land into cropland near existing crop regions, such as the vertical belt stretching from Texas to South Dakota in the US, Southern Chad and South Sudan, Sichuan and Heilongjiang provinces in China. Here, large agricultural areas that are currently used for livestock grazing show strong potential for high protein yields through crop production. By converting all grazing lands to croplands that are at least moderately suitable for crop production (based on our crop suitability assessment), the total protein production could more than triple. Similarly, for grazing lands classified as highly suitable, the rise would still be 48%. Although sustainability factors such as biodiversity and climate impacts warrant further analysis, our study identifies key areas for consideration in strategic planning and policy decisions related to increasing food production.
... It is evident that if the increment in areas under organic farming involves low intensive forms of agriculture, the said targets will be achieved through agro-industrial activities such as livestock and monoculture farming. In this regard, it should be useful to integrate the measures under the new CAP with a serious food education programme aimed at reducing the consumption of animal origin products that, as it is well known, is one of the main driver in order to achieve important environmental benefits in terms of land use, water consumption and greenhouses gas emissions (Ranganathan et al., 2016;Clark et al., 2020). ...
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to assess whether the current European target to increase the areas under organic farming to 25% by 2030 is attainable and whether the simple increase in areas under organic farming may be sufficient to improve the sustainability of European agriculture.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis has been carried out through a simple data processing related to areas under organic farming, for the period 2012–2020 (Eurostat database), in order to highlight the trends of areas under organic farming and to verify whether the annual average change rates may be compatible with the stated target.
Findings
The analysis showed that organic farming has a productive weight not corresponding to the amount on the total of the areas under cultivation and a small impact on the total of food consumption. It is a plausible hypothesis, the one that shows the increase in areas under organic farming will engage forms of agriculture and farms that, already, are more sustainable, so the achievement of 25% target will not particularly impact the European potential productive and the less environmental sustainable forms of agriculture.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the debate, involving scientific community, policy maker and civil society, about the real contribution of organic farming to sustainability, and it will be developed in future research.
... Based on FAO data, the protein consumption in Europe in between 2011-2015 was of 85 g/day compared to the 50 g/day required, with 60% being animal-derived foods. In India, it reached 50 g/day, with 84% being plant proteins (Ranganathan et al., 2016). When these figures are corrected by the protein digestibility score to be around 60%, the countries with an over-intake of proteins show to meet hardly the daily requirements, while less developed countries show significant protein deficit with non-adequate amino acid diets (Moughan, 2021). ...
Sustainable sources of dietary proteins are making their way into the market to reduce the impact of food production on the environment. Considerations from several standpoints are to be made when supporting the dietary shift toward these alternative sources, particularly regarding their nutritional and safety quality. Research is making enormous steps forwards by producing highly valuable proteins with little environmental impact or by turning by-products and wastes into sources of valuable proteins. The chapter will summarize the environmental, nutritional, and safety aspects related to novel foods, including microalgae, plants, insects, microbial, and synthetic-based ingredients. Consumer acceptability is taken into central consideration throughout the chapter being the final user of the novel food ingredients.
... Food security and climate change have become major global issues over the time. A dramatic rise in the global population has necessitated increased food production (Ranganathan et al. 2016). However, soil salinity is an important factor that restricts crop yield by limiting arable land use. ...
Key message:
SbWRKY55 functions as a key component of the ABA-mediated signaling pathway; transgenic sorghum regulates plant responses to saline environments and will help save arable land and ensure food security. Salt tolerance in plants is triggered by various environmental stress factors and endogenous hormonal signals. Numerous studies have shown that WRKY transcription factors are involved in regulating plant salt tolerance. However, the underlying mechanism for WRKY transcription factors regulated salt stress response and signal transduction pathways remains largely unknown. In this study, the SbWRKY55 transcription factor was found to be the key component for reduced levels of salt and abscisic acid in SbWRKY55 overexpression significantly reduced salt tolerance in sorghum and Arabidopsis. Mutation of the homologous gene AtWRKY55 in A. thaliana significantly enhanced salt tolerance, and SbWRKY55 supplementation in the mutants restored salt tolerance. In the transgenic sorghum with SbWRKY55 overexpression, the expression levels of genes involved in the abscisic acid (ABA) pathway were altered, and the endogenous ABA content decreased. Yeast one-hybrid assays and dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that SbWRKY55 binds directly to the promoter of SbBGLU22 and inhibits its expression level. In addition, both in vivo and in vitro biochemical analyses showed that SbWRKY55 interacts with the FYVE zinc finger protein SbFYVE1, blocking the ABA signaling pathway. This could be an important feedback regulatory pathway to balance the SbWRKY55-mediated salt stress response. In summary, the results of this study provide convincing evidence that SbWRKY55 functions as a key component in the ABA-mediated signaling pathway, highlighting the dual role of SbWRKY55 in ABA signaling. This study also showed that SbWRKY55 could negatively regulate salt tolerance in sorghum.
... Despite the large differences in diets around the world, many studies expect diets to change in coming years to a more luxurious consumption pattern, especially in developing countries (see Gerbens-Leenes et al., 2010;Gill et al., 2015;Godfray et al., 2010;Kearney, 2010;Popkin, 1999). Most studies of future environmental impact of dietary changes have assumed as the end point the universal adoption of the present food patterns of high-income countries in Europe and the USA (e.g., Bryngelsson et al., 2016;Kim et al., 2019;Ranganathan et al., 2016;Springmann et al., 2018;Tilman & Clark, 2014. Kim et al. (2019), for example, compared the environmental impact of the average diet of the OECD countries with the option of a reduction in consumption of animal products within this diet. ...
... Kim et al. (2019), for example, compared the environmental impact of the average diet of the OECD countries with the option of a reduction in consumption of animal products within this diet. Ranganathan et al. (2016) assessed the environmental impact of the US diet and the option of changes in the US diet through reducing calorie intake or through reducing or eliminating animal protein, and specifically beef. These studies showed that the present consumption per capita in the US or Western Europe has the largest environmental impacts and should be replaced by diets with lower meat consumption such as the Mediterranean diet. ...
... Second, past studies have considered the diet typical of the USA or Western Europe as the basis of the "top-estimate" of environmental impacts, and the "Mediterranean diet" as one of the bases of the "low-estimate" (Kim et al., 2019;Ranganathan et al., 2016;Springmann et al., 2018;Tilman & Clark, 2014. However, our results show that if regions retain the present composition of their diet the environmental impact may be up to 30% lower than the spectrum of the typical top and low estimates of western diets (Southern Asia for cropland and GHG emissions, and Eastern and Western Africa for water use for irrigation), although in some cases it could be higher (such as in South America). ...
Dietary changes, mainly in developing countries, will be the major driver for an increase in environmental impacts of the global food system. Many assessments of these impacts have used the food patterns of high-income countries as the reference. However, it is questionable whether people in very different socioeconomic, cultural, and biophysical contexts will adopt the food pattern of Western Europe or North America. This paper explores the environmental implications of regional differences in diets around the world. Changes in dietary composition between 1961 and 2018 were reviewed. Comparable regional diets were envisaged by adjusting existing local food preferences to a daily consumption of 3,500 kcal/cap/day, of which 30% of the calories were considered to be from animal products. Our results show that the compositions of regional diets remained relatively stable from 1961 to 2018, particularly in consumption of animal products, and are not approaching homogeneity across regions. If future diets retain their present composition, the environmental impact may be up to 30% lower than the typical “low estimate” of an affluent diet from the literature (e.g., the Mediterranean diet), but in some cases higher than the “top estimate” of an affluent diet in the literature (e.g., the North American diet); driven mainly by the type of meat consumed. Diets differ in the relative magnitudes of their effects on individual environmental indicators. For example, one diet may cause less water use but more greenhouse gas emissions than another diet, so different strategies are required for the reduction of their environmental impacts. We conclude that pathways to reduce environmental impacts of the global food system should be designed in the context of regional differences in food consumption.
... However, it has its own challenges such as loss of biodiversity, soil and land degradation, water pollution by agricultural inputs, greenhouse gases, loss of pollinators, and human health risks (Gomiero 2016;DeLonge et al. 2016). Reports suggest that there will be a gap of 11 GT of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from agriculture by 2050 to reach the target required to limit global warming below 2 °C to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change (Ranganathan et al. 2016). Thus, learning from the past experience with industrial/conventional agricultural intensification there is a common consensus among all the stakeholders, policymakers and researchers to transform the global food system which is sustainable (Gomiero 2016). ...
... I focus on biological facts, not values. How might they inform an understanding of the consequences of dietary choices (Hamershlag, 2011;Ranganathan et al., 2016;Godfray et al., 2018;EAT-Lancet Commission, 2019;IPCC, 2020)? That leads us to the ecology of meat. ...
... A change in nutritional behavior with a lower proportion of animal products can also significantly reduce emissions as well as other external costs [11,41,[51][52][53][54][55]. ...
... Not only the emission of greenhouse gases, but also the consumption of fresh water, energy, land area, habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity as well as the generation of waste occur at the expense of the environment [19,51,[56][57]. Thus, the external costs of a meat-based diet together with the additional consumption of dairy products are much higher than those of a purely plant-based diet, or a diet with a reduced share of meat and dairy products [11,54,[58][59][60][61][62][63]. When the hidden costs of food production on the environment and our health are included in the equation, food is twice as expensive on average [19,58,[64][65]. ...
The rapidly expanding corona pandemic in 2020 brought the world to virtual economic stagna-tion. While the impact on the environment from suspended air traffic, idle industry and economic lockdown has been considerable, so have the economic and social consequences of the crisis. To make matters worse, the resulting state of stagnation is neither economically nor socially sustaina-ble. Nevertheless, we need to ask ourselves what we can learn from the situation in order to ex-plore the benefits of globalization, intercept similar crisis situations more effectively in the future and move towards more sustainable development on an ecological, economic and social level. This paper identifies the areas of expanded externality management needed to further improve environmental quality, digitalization, network expansion and basic income. These central issues need to be addressed both during and after the crisis in order to deal with problems of inequality and climate change mitigation for current and future generations. Concrete concepts will be put forward and discussed in the paper.
