No Result
View All Result
  • MISSION STATEMENT
  • CONTACT
  • BE PART OF QUALITY JOURNALISM
  • ARCHIVE
Saturday, December 9, 2023
E-Paper
Kashmir Observer
12 °c
Srinagar
  • NEWSLIVE
    • TOP STORIES
    • LOCAL
    • CITY
    • REGIONAL
    • WORLD
  • IN DEPTH
    • FEATURE
    • HEADS & TAILS
    • OPINION
      • OPINION
      • EDITORIAL
      • KO ANALYSIS
      • LETTERS TO EDITOR
    • SPECIAL REPORT
    • INTERVIEW
    • REVIEW
      • BOOKS
    • LONGFORM
  • BUSINESS
    • BUSINESS NEWS
    • MARKET
    • ENERGY
    • HORTICULTURE
    • HANDICRAFTS
    • CARS & BIKES
    • STARTUP KASHMIR
  • SPORT
    • FOOTBAL
    • CRICKET
    • ADVENTURE SPORTS
    • GOLF
    • ATHLETICS
    • SKIING
    • OTHER SPORTS
  • MEDIA
  • PEOPLE
  • CULTURE
    • KHYEN CHYEN
    • ARTS
    • CRAFTS
    • FESTIVALS
    • THEATER
    • LANGAUGE
  • TRAVEL
    • HOUSEBOATS
    • HOTELS
    • ANGLING
    • CAMPING
    • DESTINATION FOCUS
  • SOCIETY
    • EDUCATION
    • HEADS & TAILS
    • GENDER
    • YOUTH
    • CHILD WELFARE
  • LITERATURE
    • SHORT STORY
    • BOOKS
    • NARRATIVE
  • CINEMA
    • CINEMA & TV
  • ePAPERS
    • BAZAAR OBSERVER
    • YOUNG KASHMIR
    • MIZRAB
  • NEWSLIVE
    • TOP STORIES
    • LOCAL
    • CITY
    • REGIONAL
    • WORLD
  • IN DEPTH
    • FEATURE
    • HEADS & TAILS
    • OPINION
      • OPINION
      • EDITORIAL
      • KO ANALYSIS
      • LETTERS TO EDITOR
    • SPECIAL REPORT
    • INTERVIEW
    • REVIEW
      • BOOKS
    • LONGFORM
  • BUSINESS
    • BUSINESS NEWS
    • MARKET
    • ENERGY
    • HORTICULTURE
    • HANDICRAFTS
    • CARS & BIKES
    • STARTUP KASHMIR
  • SPORT
    • FOOTBAL
    • CRICKET
    • ADVENTURE SPORTS
    • GOLF
    • ATHLETICS
    • SKIING
    • OTHER SPORTS
  • MEDIA
  • PEOPLE
  • CULTURE
    • KHYEN CHYEN
    • ARTS
    • CRAFTS
    • FESTIVALS
    • THEATER
    • LANGAUGE
  • TRAVEL
    • HOUSEBOATS
    • HOTELS
    • ANGLING
    • CAMPING
    • DESTINATION FOCUS
  • SOCIETY
    • EDUCATION
    • HEADS & TAILS
    • GENDER
    • YOUTH
    • CHILD WELFARE
  • LITERATURE
    • SHORT STORY
    • BOOKS
    • NARRATIVE
  • CINEMA
    • CINEMA & TV
  • ePAPERS
    • BAZAAR OBSERVER
    • YOUNG KASHMIR
    • MIZRAB
No Result
View All Result
Kashmir Observer
No Result
View All Result
Home FEATURE

We’ve calculated the environmental-cost of a loaf-of-bread–and what to do about it

by Observer News Service
March 4, 2017
A A
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS

What does a staple food such as bread have to do with global warming? For a start, to make loaves on an industrial scale, you’ll need powerful milling and kneading machines and a huge oven, heated to 230°C or more. This uses a lot of energy. The flour, yeast and salt must also be shipped in and, finally, the finished loaves are delivered to stores – all in trucks powered by petrol.

But it isn’t milling or baking or transport that accounts for most of the environmental impact of bread. In a new a study published in the journal Nature Plants, colleagues and I looked at the entire supply chain of a regular loaf – from seed to sandwich, via mill and bakery. We found that more than half its environmental impact arises not from food processing but from the production of the raw material, the wheat grain.

Food causes about a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the supply chains can be so complex that it is difficult to determine what part of the process is responsible – and without this information neither the industry nor consumers will know what to do about it. This is why it’s useful to take a zoomed-out look at the entire process.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks to a collaboration with a bread manufacturer we had accurate “primary” data for every stage of their particular brand of 800g loaf. We found that ammonium nitrate fertiliser alone accounts for 43% of all the greenhouse gas emissions, dwarfing all other processes in the supply chain including baking and milling. These emissions arise from the large amounts of energy and natural gas needed to produce fertiliser, and from the nitrous oxide released when it is degraded in the soil.

For crops to grow big and fast, they need nitrogen, usually through fertiliser. It is the key ingredient of intensive agriculture. Without fertiliser, either we produce less food or we use much more land to produce the same amount, at greater economic and environmental cost. That is the fix we are in.

Read Also

Kerala Resident Injured In Zojila Pass Accident Succumbs After 4 Days

US Vetoes UNSC Resolution Calling For Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire In War-Torn Gaza  

Fertiliser-free bread?

We could reduce the use of fertiliser by recycling agricultural and human waste as manure, in order to retain the nitrogen in the same cycle. We could also harness the best of organic farming by, for example, using “green manures” or rotating crops with legumes that “fix” nitrogen in the soil. Precision agriculture can be used to only apply fertiliser where and when it is needed, using new sensor technologies including drones to monitor the nutritional status of soils and plants.

But technology isn’t the only solution – we could also change our diets. Meat, in particular, is a very inefficient use of nitrogen, as cows or chickens use up energy and nutrients simply staying alive before being slaughtered.

Cereal crops such as wheat are a much more efficient way of converting nitrogenous fertiliser into nitrogen in food protein. Studies show emphatically that low-meat diets are also good for the environment.

There is no incentive to ditch fertiliser

But whose responsibility is it to reduce fertiliser use? After all, fingers could be pointed at the fertiliser manufacturer, the farmer, or even the retailers and consumers who demand cheap bread.

With goods like electronics or car tyres there is a growing recognition for a notion of extended producer responsibility where manufacturers are held responsible for the continuing impact of their products, often including disposal. This could be extended to fertilisers too.

Consumers could pay more for “greener bread” or apply pressure to use less fertiliser. But things can be confusing as people are usually entirely unaware of the environmental impacts embodied in the products they consume. This is particularly the case for food, where the main concerns are over human health or animal welfare – not emissions. Many will be surprised that wheat cultivation has a greater environmental impact than baking or milling.

This highlights one of the key conflicts in the food security challenge. The agriculture industry’s primary purpose is to make money, not to provide sustainable food for the whole world. Profits for farmers and retailers rely on highly productive crops – which require lots of relatively cheap fertiliser. However the environmental impact of this fertiliser is not costed within the system and so there are currently no real incentives to fix things.

Feeding seven billion people fairly and sustainably is therefore not only a question of technology but also one of political economy. We need incentives to use less fertiliser – and we could start with bread.

The Article Firt Appeared In The Conversation

Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now

Be Part of Quality Journalism

Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast.

ACT NOW
MONTHLYRs 100
YEARLYRs 1000
LIFETIMERs 10000

CLICK FOR DETAILS

ShareTweetSendShareShareSend
Previous Post

Shopian encounter: Operation called off after militants flee

Next Post

In Kashmir,no one is welcoming pellet-guns with deflectors–except the CRPF

Observer News Service

Observer News Service

Related Posts

Kerala Resident Injured In Zojila Pass Accident Succumbs After 4 Days
LOCAL

Kerala Resident Injured In Zojila Pass Accident Succumbs After 4 Days

US Vetoes UNSC Resolution Calling For Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire In War-Torn Gaza  
WORLD

US Vetoes UNSC Resolution Calling For Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire In War-Torn Gaza  

At Minus 4.6 Deg C Srinagar Records Coldest Night Of Season
TOP STORIES

At Minus 4.6 Deg C, Srinagar Records Coldest Night Of Season

HC Upholds Seniority Of Patwaris Through Departmental Exam
LOCAL

HC Upholds Seniority Of Patwaris Through Departmental Exam

Painkiller Meftal Can Lead To 'Adverse' Reaction, Govt Issues Alert
HEALTH

Painkiller Meftal Can Lead To ‘Adverse’ Reaction, Govt Issues Alert

Power Scenario Improved, To Get Better In Days To Come: Div Com
LOCAL

Power Scenario Improved, To Get Better In Days To Come: Div Com

Next Post

In Kashmir,no one is welcoming pellet-guns with deflectors–except the CRPF

Martyrs and mothers:The Indian government sentimentalises both, without caring for either

Please login to join discussion

Pages

  • ABOUT US
  • ADVERTISE IN KO
  • ARCHIVE
  • BE PART OF QUALITY JOURNALISM
  • CONTACT
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • INTERNSHIPS AT OBSERVER
  • JOBS@KO
  • KO – Homepage
  • MISSION STATEMENT
  • POLICIES
    • COMMENTING GUIDELINES
    • COOKIE POLICY
    • DISCLAIMER
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS
  • Refund Policy

SEARCH IN ARCHIVE

No Result
View All Result

FOLLOW US

About Us

The media in Kashmir, comprising a robust English and vernacular press has a particularly unenviable job to do. The problems faced by it are both universal to the conflict situations and unique to the region. Read More

Advertising

For Advertising on various Kashmir Observer platforms
contact

[email protected]
+91-194-2502327; +91-1947969705

© 1997 -2023 | KASHMIR OBSERVER LLP

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
    • TOP STORIES
    • LOCAL
    • CITY
    • REGIONAL
    • WORLD
  • IN DEPTH
    • FEATURE
    • HEADS & TAILS
    • OPINION
      • OPINION
      • EDITORIAL
      • KO ANALYSIS
      • LETTERS TO EDITOR
    • SPECIAL REPORT
    • INTERVIEW
    • REVIEW
      • BOOKS
    • LONGFORM
  • BUSINESS
    • BUSINESS NEWS
    • MARKET
    • ENERGY
    • HORTICULTURE
    • HANDICRAFTS
    • CARS & BIKES
    • STARTUP KASHMIR
  • SPORT
    • FOOTBAL
    • CRICKET
    • ADVENTURE SPORTS
    • GOLF
    • ATHLETICS
    • SKIING
    • OTHER SPORTS
  • MEDIA
  • PEOPLE
  • CULTURE
    • KHYEN CHYEN
    • ARTS
    • CRAFTS
    • FESTIVALS
    • THEATER
    • LANGAUGE
  • TRAVEL
    • HOUSEBOATS
    • HOTELS
    • ANGLING
    • CAMPING
    • DESTINATION FOCUS
  • SOCIETY
    • EDUCATION
    • HEADS & TAILS
    • GENDER
    • YOUTH
    • CHILD WELFARE
  • LITERATURE
    • SHORT STORY
    • BOOKS
    • NARRATIVE
  • CINEMA
    • CINEMA & TV
  • ePAPERS
    • BAZAAR OBSERVER
    • YOUNG KASHMIR
    • MIZRAB

© 1997 -2023 | KASHMIR OBSERVER LLP