The misguided idea of "buy local"
The misguided idea of "buying local"
Food production causes about 25% of global greenhouse gasses (GHA). Many of us assume that eating local is the key to a low carbon diet, even the UN recommends it. While it might make sense intuitively (transport does lead to emissions), it is a very misguided advice.
Diagram 1, Issue 11
Transport makes up a very small percentage of food's total emissions — about 6% globally.
Most of food's GHG emissions are non-CO²: nitrous-oxide and methane. NO²(which is 298x more potent than Co²) is caused by fertiliser for meat, livestock, and feed crops.
This tiny red segment
This green part is GHG from things like deforestation and changes in soil carbon.
Australians are the second largest meat consumers and the second largest beef consumers, per-capita in the world.
Buying only local food would reduce an Australian household's emissions by only about 0.7%.
If a household swapped beef for vegetables, fish, or eggs just one day per week, the beef emissions savings would be about 2% more than double the savings of buying all food locally. (which would be impossible anyway)
What we buy is much much more important than its origin.
Researched and handwritten for you by Ian 🙂