High carbon footprint ‘linked to consuming sweets and alcohol’
FAMILIES WITH higher carbon footprints are likely to consume more sweets, alcohol and restaurant food, academics in Yorkshire have found.
Looking at the lifestyles of people living in Japan, researchers at the university of Sheffield found that while meat consumption was fairly constant across the spectrum, carbon footprints were not.
And while meat has traditionally endured a reputation as being less environmentally friendly, experts say a carbon tax might more wisely target sweets and alcohol to forge a progressive system.
While meat consumption could explain less than 10 per cent of the difference seen in carbon footprints between families, the study found, households with higher carbon footprints tended to consume more food from restaurants.
However, it was the level of consumption of sweets and alcohol – two to three times higher than families with low carbon footprints – that really stood out in the findings.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan, had analysed the carbon footprints of the diets of 60,000 households.
“Due to wealth, culture, and farming practices, different regions in a country consume food differently,” said Dr Christian Reynolds from the Institute of Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield, one of the study’s co-authors.
“All countries are facing challenges in how to shift diets to be healthier and more sustainable. This evidence from Japan demonstrates that research can help us to identify what to focus on.
“The same patterns of dietary change in terms of sugar, alcohol and dining out need to be considered in the UK, Australia, the US and Europe.”
Associate Professor Keiichiro Kanemoto of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan – who led the research – said: “If we are serious about reducing our carbon footprints, then our diets must change.”