A new study from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization found that the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year make it one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing food waste can have myriad social, economic, and environmental benefits. But a new report has put a number to the impact on global warming that uneaten food has every year. "The world throws away one-third of food produced yearly, making food waste the third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions behind those produced by the U.S. and China, according to a U.N. report released Wednesday," writes Ricardo Lopez. "[T]he U.N. estimated the carbon footprint of the problem is equivalent to 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year."
"All of us -- farmers and fishers, food processors and supermarkets, local and national governments, individual consumers -- must make changes at every link of the human food chain to prevent food wastage from happening in the first place, and re-use or recycle it when we can't," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
FULL STORY: One-third of food wasted worldwide harms environment, U.N. says
Massachusetts Has the Nation’s Only Successful Food Waste Ban
The state has reduced its methane emissions by 25.7 percent per ton of waste following a law that seeks to eliminate food waste from landfills.
Ratepayers Could Be on the Hook for Data Centers’ Energy Use
Without regulatory changes, data centers’ high demand for energy would be subsidized by taxpayers, according to a new study.
Trump Administration Unfreezes Pennsylvania Climate Funding Amidst Lawsuits
Funding for air and water quality programs still at risk.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
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Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations
Bublr Bikes, one of the nation’s most successful, will add 500 new e-bikes to its system.
DC Extends Application Window for Outdoor Dining Permits
District restaurants will have until the end of November to apply, but businesses with permits in rush hour parking lanes must end operations on July 31.
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