English Final Essay

Dowd 1

Impact of Food Choices to the Environment

The food choices made every day have a significant effect on the environment. Dietary decisions are the leading cause of environmental degradation, and they threaten the attainability of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Paris Climate Agreement. More people are concerned about food production practices and the impacts they have on the environment. Industrial advances have made it possible for the world to feed the growing population. With the demand for food increasing, there are many issues associated with food production and consumption. The problems of greenhouse gases, climate change, and others arise. The food choices individuals make have a significant effect on the environment. As such, proper food choices lead to real environmental benefits, including fewer toxic chemicals, reduced global warming, and resource preservation. Comment by Bryanna F: consider combining this information into one coherent thesis, noting the problem and then the supporting points that lead to the environmental benefits

The most significant problem associated with dietary choices and the environment is global warming. This is the increase in the temperatures of the earth due to the increased greenhouse gases. Food high in the dietary chain is responsible for high emissions of carbon dioxide, which plays a significant role in global warming (Clark et al., 23360). Greenhouse gas emissions are produced in the growing, processing, packaging, transportation, and consumption of food. There are three major greenhouse gases in the food chain. They are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Methane persists in the atmosphere for a shorter time but has a more significant impact on global warming compared to carbon dioxide. Food consumption contributes to 15% of the greenhouse emissions per person in the United States. Production of food contributes to the highest emissions in agriculture due to soil microbial processes and manure. Fertilizers used are a significant source of nitrous oxide emissions that escape from the soil to the atmosphere. Transporting food to the markets is another source of emissions. It accounts for 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (Nejad, Fadaee, and Anna 79). Trucks are used to bring food to the markets and the processing companies adding to more emissions. Food consumption is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas when it comes to households. Wasted foods are a waste of energy and emit greenhouse gases. Therefore, consumption of food results in global warming because the processes from production to when food is put on the table results in the emission of greenhouse gases. Comment by Bryanna F: no comma after et al. Comment by Bryanna F: (Name et al. 79) Comment by Bryanna F: (Nejad et al.79) Comment by Bryanna F: just the root form of this word needed

As the world population increases, more land and water are used in the production of food to feed the large numbers. The increased pressure on the environment and the emissions from the production centers contribute to the greenhouse gases. Crop production contributes to 27% of the food emissions (Carlson 66). The mechanization of agricultural processes is one area that has contributed to carbon dioxide emissions. The machinery uses fuel that produces carbon dioxide. Agricultural expansion has resulted in the conversion of forests, grasslands, and other carbon sinks into farmlands. The emissions from these activities increase greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. When land is disturbed, the stored carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide re-enter the atmosphere ("Eat Green" 14). On the other hand, the clearing of land results in the degradation of soil, leaching of nutrients, and hence reduces the ability of the soil to act as a carbon sink.

The emission of greenhouse gases leads to an increase in the global temperature a phenomenon called global warming. The increase in the average temperatures on the earth has led to numerous impacts. Some of the effects of global warming include the thawing of the glacial masses, which leads to rising ocean levels. The result is the flooding of the islands and the coastal cities. By estimation, the sea level will increase by 15 to 90 centimeters, and this will threaten the lives of more than 92 million people (Murray 1232). Other impacts of global warming include devastating hurricanes because of the adverse climatic events. The formation of storms is associated with sea temperatures. Global warming also leads to the migration of animal species which are forced to migrate to survive the changes in the climatic conditions. Desertification of the fertile areas affects food security. The soil degrading processes leads to the destruction of the biological potential of the regions and hence rendering the land unproductive. As a result, more droughts are witnessed. Global warming also leads to an increase in the food growing season in some parts of the planet (Westhoek 202). These changes are affecting the proliferation of insects and weeds hence food production. Comment by Bryanna F: punctuation needed before ending clause - comma

The agricultural sector negatively affects the environment because it results in eutrophication and loss of biodiversity. Eutrophication results from the increased nitrogen and phosphorous, causing the degradation of the marine ecosystems. Agricultural activities affect the water quality, and increased nutrients lead to harmful booming of the algae. It also leads to a decline in the amount of oxygen that reaches the bottom of the waters and hence affecting the life and the growth of marine species (Ritchie and Max 17). As such, the people living in coastal areas who rely on the marine ecosystem have their livelihood affected. The sea is infiltrated with eutrophication, and agriculture has been identified as the primary source of these nutrients. The sea has been made to change to meet the needs of globalization, economic growth, and the rising population. Crop production that requires high nutrients in the form of fertilizers and livestock keeping have all impacted the sea. Biodiversity is declining in the rangelands as livestock production is increasing (Mauricio 292). As a result, the changes in farm use are affecting food production and resulting in global warming.

One of the solutions to the problem of global warming caused by food use is to use climate-friendly food. Foods higher in the food chain spend more energy in production, which results in the emission of more gases. However, it is essential to intake foods that are lower in the food chain. This means that people should look for alternative sources of protein. Livestock requires more pasture and massive land to be fed. This means that more trees that act as carbon sinks must be cut to accommodate their growth. At the same time, their burps generate large quantities of global warming methane. Therefore, the carbon footprint for rearing cows is four times higher than poultry and pork. Therefore, the consumption of lamb and cow should thus be minimized. Grains, beans, and lentils contain proteins. These are a better alternative because they require smaller inputs compared to animals. As a result, they have a low carbon footprint. According to Hitajet al., it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by reducing the consumption of meat and dairy (5498).

Buying organics is the right way of rewarding the environment and protect it from degradation. Buying organically grown foods helps to prevent soil and air pollution because these foods are grown free from fertilizers and pesticides. The widespread use of pesticides leads to a decline in pollinators (Nunes et al. 804). Therefore, organic farming protects the environment and emphasizes having high nutrients in the soil hence creating habitats for bugs and insects. This also helps to fight climate change because organic agriculture is more energy-efficient than conventional farming. Therefore, the carbon footprint in this form of agriculture is lower than the other methods. It is a method that also enhances carbon sequestration because storing carbon dioxide that would have ended up in the atmosphere helps to minimize the effects of greenhouse gases. Organic agriculture uses fewer chemicals in growing food. Fewer chemicals mean that the effects of eutrophication that affects the sea are lower. It also helps the farmers to adapt to the climatic change because high soil organic matter content and soil cover help to prevent the loss of nutrients and water (Diacono et al. 3824). As a result, the soil becomes resilient to floods, droughts, and degradation of the land. Working in organic food systems also helps to preserve seed and crop diversity. This results in increased crop resistance to pests and diseases. Maintenance of diversity helps the farmers evolves the cropping systems so that they adapt to the climatic changes. Therefore, organic farming is beneficial in minimizing the risks to the farmers and enhances production at low costs. Comment by Bryanna F: transition needed - "Additionally" or something similar Comment by Bryanna F: needs to be parallel in wording with "rewarding" Comment by Bryanna F: punctuation needed before ending clause Comment by Bryanna F: subject/verb agreement - evolve

In conclusion, the dietary habits depicted by individuals affect the environment. This is because agricultural activities are a source of greenhouse gases. The cutting down of trees to rear livestock or crops is a reduction in the carbon sinks. This increases the emissions of gases into the atmosphere. Eating foods high in the food chain is also problematic because it leads to high emissions of greenhouse gases. The problem of the environment increases as eutrophication increases. With more people to feed, the farming habits changed to incorporate the use of fertilizers. All these activities lead to global warming, which impacts the temperatures in the earth's atmosphere. However, human beings must watch their eating habits. Eating food low in the food chain is one way they can ensure that fewer greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. At the same time, it is good to eat organic food because it helps minimize the use of chemicals. These are all the aspects that contribute to high levels of greenhouse gases. With proper farming practices, then it is possible to minimize the effects of greenhouse gases and global warming. Comment by Bryanna F: "The issues in the environment increase as... Comment by Bryanna F: unnecessary wording

Works Cited Comment by Bryanna F: MLA Formatting resource: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_periodicals.html

Sample

Case, Sue-Ellen. “Eve's Apple, or Women's Narrative Bytes.” Technocriticism and Hypernarrative, special issue of Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 43, no. 3, 1997, pp. 631-50. Project Muse, doi:10.1353/mfs.1997.0056.

"Eat Green: Our Everyday Food Choices Affect Global Warming and the Environment."  Natural Resources Defense Council. (2019, February): 1&2. nrdc.org  Comment by Bryanna F: do you have the specific website link for this source?

Carlson, Kimberly M., et al. "Greenhouse gas emissions intensity of global croplands." Nature Climate Change 7.1 (2017): 63-68.

Clark, Michael A., et al. "Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116.46 (2019): 23357-23362.

Diacono, Mariangela, et al. "Recycling agricultural wastes and by-products in organic farming: Biofertilizer production, yield performance and carbon footprint analysis." Sustainability 11.14 (2019): 3824.

Hitaj, Claudia, et al. "Greenhouse gas emissions in the United States food system: current and healthy diet scenarios." Environmental science & technology 53.9 (2019): 5493-5503.

Mauricio, Rogerio Martins, et al. "Silvopastoral systems in Latin America for biodiversity, environmental, and socioeconomic improvements." Agroecosystem Diversity.Academic Press, 2019.287-297.

Murray, Christopher JL, et al. "Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019." The Lancet 396.10258 (2020): 1223-1249.

Nejad, Mohsen Fadaee, NavidHaghdadi, and Anna Bruce. "Climate policy and intelligent transport systems: Application of new transport technologies to reduce greenhouse emissions." 2020 National Conference on Emerging Trends on Sustainable Technology and Engineering Applications (NCETSTEA).IEEE, 2020.

Nunes, FláviaAparecida, et al. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from rice production systems in Brazil: A comparison between minimal tillage and organic farming." Journal of Cleaner Production 139 (2016): 799-809.

Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser."Environmental Impacts of Food Production." Our World in Data (2020, January).

Westhoek, Henk, et al. "Food Choices, Health and Environment: Effects of Cutting Europe's Meat and Dairy Intake." Global Environmental Change 26 (2014, May): 196-205.