8 Ways Your Eating Habits are Affecting Climate Change

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Greenhouse gas emissions related to food transport account for...

only about 6% of the food system's emissions on a global scale. This might come as a surprise to anyone who's been led to believe that eating locally is the best option for the planet. The truth is, what you eat matters much more than where it comes from. Different factors come into play regarding the carbon footprint of various types of food, including how they're transported (ex. by plane, ship, truck or car) and their energy efficiency related to production, packaging and distribution processes. Local produce that was produced in an energy-sucking greenhouse with fuel-run machinery is a worse choice than buying the same foods produced elsewhere, using much more eco-efficient practices.

What can you do? Eat seasonally, to reduce the necessity of air-freighted food imports and to decrease the demand for out-of-season produce, which spurs the creation of unsustainable greenhouses used to grow foods year-round. Also, avoid foods with a very short shelf life, and check the country of origin, if possible. Stick to those that didn't have to travel very far.