Osei-Owusu Albert Kwame, Read Quentin D, Thomsen Marianne
Department of Planning, Aalborg University, A. C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen, Denmark.
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southeast Area, 840 Oval Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Oct 31;57(43):16296-16308. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00158. Epub 2023 Oct 20.
Food loss and waste (FLW) contribute significantly to the global food system's economic and environmental burdens, including substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resource depletion, and waste management challenges. In alignment with the European Commission's sustainability objectives and U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, this study explores the potential energy and environmental footprint savings achievable by halving FLW in Europe by 2030. Using a multiregional input-output model, we estimated the total global energy and environmental footprint savings across all stages of the food supply chain, considering industry-specific FLW rates and proportion weights. The findings reveal substantial environmental savings across Europe, with aggregate savings potentially reaching 51 Mt COe (0.09 t COe/p), 4,620 Mm (8 m/p) of blue water, 106,446 km (179 m/p) of cropland, 55,523 km (93 m/p) of grassland, and 0.47 EJ (0.54 TJ/p) of energy. The greatest potential for savings was found in Western Europe, specifically in France, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. However, countries with a lower per capita GDP, such as Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania, also demonstrate significant per capita savings potential, indicating that wealth does not necessarily correlate with higher environmental savings. Agricultural production emerged as the stage with the highest footprint reduction potential for GHG and resource footprints across Europe, while the foodservice and institutional stages offer the greatest energy-saving potential. Geographical disparities underscore the need for region-specific policies. These results challenge the wealth-sustainability correlation and advocate for adaptable policies that transcend national wealth and accommodate regional disparities, underlining the pivotal roles of the agricultural production and consumption stages in footprint savings.
食物损失和浪费（FLW）对全球粮食系统的经济和环境负担有重大影响，包括大量温室气体（GHG）排放、资源枯竭和废物管理挑战。为与欧盟委员会的可持续发展目标和联合国可持续发展目标12.3保持一致，本研究探讨了到2030年将欧洲的食物损失和浪费减半可实现的潜在能源和环境足迹节约。使用多区域投入产出模型，我们估计了整个食品供应链所有阶段的全球能源和环境足迹总节约量，同时考虑了特定行业的食物损失和浪费率及比例权重。研究结果显示，欧洲各地在环境方面有大量节约，总节约量可能达到51百万吨二氧化碳当量（0.09吨二氧化碳当量/人）、462亿立方米（8立方米/人）的蓝水、106446平方千米（179平方米/人）的农田、55523平方千米（93平方米/人）的草地以及0.47艾焦（0.54太焦/人）的能源。节约潜力最大的地区是西欧，特别是法国、德国、比利时和荷兰。然而，人均国内生产总值较低的国家，如希腊、克罗地亚、保加利亚和罗马尼亚，也显示出显著的人均节约潜力，这表明财富不一定与更高的环境节约相关。农业生产是欧洲温室气体和资源足迹减少潜力最大的阶段，而食品服务和机构阶段的节能潜力最大。地域差异凸显了制定针对特定地区政策的必要性。这些结果挑战了财富与可持续性的相关性，并倡导制定超越国家财富、适应地区差异的适应性政策，强调了农业生产和消费阶段在足迹节约中的关键作用。
