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| Fri, 15th May 2020 13:29:00 |
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Eating our way to a healthier planet |
Yeast, vegetable seeds and local farm boxes are new hot-ticket items. Windowsill scallions are having their moment in the sun. People are exchanging tips on how to use every bit of food in the fridge, how to pickle and preserve. While these new habits and hobbies make for engaging Instagram stories and a motivation to call your grandmother, they're important for a much bigger reason: these new interests are exactly what Mother Nature needs from us.
Amid the chaos and fear of the coronavirus pandemic are signs of a global community ready and willing to take action on the other emergency looming: the climate crisis.
Changing how and what we eat is a powerful — yet often overlooked — tool for climate action. Reducing food waste is the No. 1 solution for reversing global warming. Eating plant-rich diets ranks No. 3. Those are the conclusions of Project Drawdown, a nonprofit group of scientists, activists and others that has compiled the most promising ways to address the climate crisis. Food-related changes can make a greater impact than the approaches most widely touted by environmentalists, such as solar panels and electric vehicles. This means that those yearning to make a difference need to look no further than the kitchen.
The conveniently great news is that what's good for people often happens to be good for the planet. "Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth," concludes the EAT-Lancet Commission, a group of 37 leading transdisciplinary scientists from 16 countries.
We tell you this not just as superfans of science, but as two new mothers. The moment you bring a human life into the world, once-vague notions of "sustainability" and "natural resources" take on real meaning. Will my children and their children live in a world with enough fresh water, rich topsoil and wildlife habitat, one with peppy pollinators to keep our food supply thriving? And, as parents, we're shaping little people's habits, so our choices have a multiplier effect.
Before covid-19, millennials and members of Generation Z — who together make up over half of the global population — were already sounding the alarm on climate breakdown and collectively driving the rise of "foodie" culture. As experts who have spent more than a decade interviewing youth around the world about the role food plays in their lives, we know that all of the raw ingredients are here at this moment to empower young people to use their market muscle to push for food that's better for both human and planetary health. Yet, the concept of climate-friendly eating has yet to break through into the zeitgeist.
So, what has prevented climate-beneficial eating from becoming the norm in American food culture precrisis? We've gotten the messaging all wrong.
Read original full article
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