Hot or Cool Institute is a public interest think tank that explores the intersection between society and sustainability, we bring together researchers and practitioners to facilitate solutions to global problems.
- November 8, 2023
Our current food systems will require complete transformations in order to achieve sustainability goals and ensure healthy and nutritional diets for future generations. This report explores supply and demand side actions to mitigate the climate impact of food consumption in Germany. It provides calculations of the required carbon budget available for food in 2030 and 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5-degrees. The report further analyses the mitigation potential of different actions towards achieving the 1.5-degree target.
The current carbon footprint of German diets (2300 kgCO2-eq/person/year) must be reduced by 66% by 2030 and 84% by 2050 in order to meet the 1.5-degree target. Neither supply nor demand-side actions alone are enough to achieve the 1.5-degree target for food by 2030. More than half of the needed GHG reductions can be achieved through demand-side actions, particularly consumer behaviour and diet changes. Changes in agricultural production practices and the following supply chains can contribute to a maximum of 40% of the needed reduction.
Compared to current levels, red meat consumption would need to be reduced by 70%, other meats by 28%, dairy products by 26%, and beverages by 30%. Consumption of vegetables, fruits, and plant-based proteins would then be substantially increased.
To learn more about the data analysis behind this report, read the full Methods Brief.
