We hear about pollution, climate change and environmental impacts every day, but perhaps not many are aware of how much the food sector is responsible for these issues. The negative impacts of Food sector on the environment are:
The future of our planet therefore also passes through the food we buy and consume every day. We at Associazione PIÚINFORMA have collected and processed various data with the aim of informing consumers about the extent of the negative impacts on the environment caused by the “Food” sector (2019-2020 data):
- AIR POLLUTION: agri-food production emits 6 billion tons of CO2eq/year in the world, equal to 26% of global emissions. This percentage is exceeded only by emissions from the energy sector.
- OCCUPATION AND SOIL DEGRADATION: agriculture and livestock occupy 50% of the earth’s livable soil, seriously threatening biodiversity and the quality of the soil itself.
- CONSUMPTION AND POLLUTION OF WATER RESOURCES: the agri-food sector is the largest consumer of water in theworld; it uses 70% of the total water used in the We are talking about 6000-8500 cubic kilometers of water per year. Without taking into account the polluted and eutrophied water resources caused by the leaching of fertilizers and pesticides.
- PLASTIC POLLUTION: in Europe, the amount of plastic used for food and beverages is equivalent to 8 million tons/year,about 20% of the total European demand, 95% of this is disposable. This amount of plastic generates tons of CO2 every year and recurs in the form of microplastics in the environment.
These are just some of the negative impacts that the “Food” sector causes on the environment. We at Associazione PIÚINFORMA constantly process data on the subject to demonstrate the seriousness of this problem.
Agenda 2030
According to the 2030 AGENDA, as many as 14 out of 17 goals for sustainable development directly or indirectly concern food, but if to date the situation is still this. It means that there is still a lot to work on.
There is no more time to think, the only way to reverse the negative trend is to change today, acting by making informed choices with a view to sustainability and circular economy.
A responsible awareness, for our future and that of our planet.
