Carbon-Negative Foods to Tackle Climate Crisis
Climate crisis is growing and what should be minimized are greenhouse gas emissions. Food production also releases the rising greenhouse gas emissions. The food production stage involves growing, processing, transportation, and waste disposal. However, carbon-negative foods have been added in diets aimed at removing greenhouses gases in the atmosphere that are meant to combat climate change.
The Issue with Food Production Emissions
The United Nations report points out that the truth is that food production does have an impact on the environment, at least for animal-based food products such as red meat, dairy, and farmed shrimp. These items are sources of emissions due to deforestation, methane from animals, and highly intensive application of chemical fertilizers.
Whereas that is what many plant-based foods are – with fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes having much more of a very low carbon footprint. Besides that, some food items even go beyond that because they are doing more by absorbing atmospheric greenhouse gases, thereby being carbon negative.
What are carbon-negative foods?
Those are the carbon-negative foods, which absorb more greenhouse gases from the air as compared to what they emit during the production and life cycle of such foods. It may help in creating better environmental impact by adding these to our daily diets. Some of the examples of carbon-negative foods along with some of their advantages are given below:
1. Mushrooms
Mushrooms mushroom on agricultural waste and convert it into healthy food, locking away carbon. Edible ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) can be used in conjunction with trees to encourage biodiversity and conservation through mycoforestry, as evidenced by a 2023 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With more than 900 species of edible EMF, mushrooms are an eco-friendly substitute.
2. Legumes
Legumes, such as beans and lentils, ensure fertile soil since it avoids the overreliance on synthetic fertilizers, a major source of greenhouse gas emission. The fertility in soil is enhanced with the support for those microorganisms by legumes, improving its biological, chemical, and physical qualities. Recently, studies have shown it has been relevant in suppressing crops with diseases or pests through healthier soil systems: these were based on a front publication of 2021 in journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
3. Kelp
Carbon-sequestering seaweed kelp fixes carbon, and carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere into the ocean via photosynthesis of kelp. Locally grown kelp may be used for restorative purposes of damaged kelp forests, a critical component of marine biodiversity. Carbon-negative kelp products are still rare but have enormous environmental potential.
4. Blueberries, Cranberries, and Celery
Some crops, which are viable for peatland farming using organic carbon build up at a rate quicker than they decay include blueberries, cranberries, and celery. This is therefore a balance which offsets emissions in the form of methane and nitrogen oxides thereby making such crops carbon-negative crops. This depends however on an efficient supply chains since international shipment of fresh blueberries, amongst other goods carry higher carbon footprints.
5. Nuts, Olives, and Citrus Fruits
Tree-based crops like nuts, olives, and citrus fruits absorb carbon through agroforestry. The BBC states that nut trees will capture around 1.3 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of nuts harvested. Carbon is stored for thousands of years, even millennia, after harvest if wood is converted into long-lived products.
Benefits of Carbon-Negative Food
Carbon-negative food reduces emissions associated with food production.
Soil Health: Increased soil fertility and biodiversity.
Climate Resilience: Support resilient ecosystems to be resilient against environmental changes.
Sustainable Practices: Support sustainable agriculture and land use.
Change in diet might not be instantaneous, but incorporation of these food items in balanced diet will be able to assist the individual make meaningful contributions in combating climate change.
Challenges and Considerations
Carbon-negative food products have many merits but are not yet as widespread and are certainly hard to locate in a supermarket. To achieve the maximum effect, it will require effective supply chains and sustainable farming practices. Consumer awareness and demand will create mainstream responsible food production practices.
Future Sustainable Choice
The most promising avenues for balancing climate change in becoming net-zero emissions include carbon-negative foods. In case the diet of the global population consists of these carbon-negative foods with systemic changes, the earth will then become a much healthier planet.