Whole Earth Packaging Posting Page
Monday, August 29, 2011

By the year 2050, the world is expected to be the home to somewhere around 9 billion people. That’s kind of hard to get your head around, isn’t it? What’s even harder to think about is that all 9 billion people are going to need to eat. That’s why agriculture and food consumption are going to be some of the most important drivers of environmental pressures—up to and including climate change and habitat loss. Let’s look at how we eat, and what we can do to be more environmentally friendly.

Studies have shown that the environmental impacts of agriculture are actually greater than the production of things like cement. With 9 billion people on the earth, we won’t be able to sustain the kind of diet we’re used to. The only way to really reduce the impacts substantially would be with a worldwide diet change away from meat and animal products.

But is that feasible? Reports show that environmental impacts increase about 80% when a person’s income doubles. This is primarily due to the shift to a more meat-intensive way of eating.

And we’ve all seen the commercials… anywhere from 30% to 50% of all food is wasted. In poor countries, food spoils on the way to the market. In rich countries, food spoils in people’s refrigerators.

Ultimately, if we’re more efficient with our food, we can make some sort of difference. Don’t buy it if you don’t plan on eating it!



by: Whole Earth Packaging

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