Research On Greenhouse Gas Emissions Of Food Consumption In China

At present,global climate change,which is characterized by climate warming,has become a major environmental challenge for mankind in the twenty-first Century.Human activity is the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions.As the basis for people to survive,greenhouse gas emissions caused by food consumption cannot be ignored.The research on the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from food consumption helps to raise awareness of green consumption and guide residents to choose healthy and sustainable patterns of food consumption,as well as promoting the development of low-carbon society.This paper carried out the research from the following three aspects.The first step was using the method of life cycle analysis and input-output analysis to calculate the carbon emission from agricultural production and industrial process on 2002,2007 and 2012.The second step was using the Kaya identity and structure decomposition analysis method to analyze the factors which have affected the carbon emission from food production and industrial process.The third step was using the scenario analysis to analyze the carbon emission of different diet.The findings of this study were as follows.Since the reform and opening up,the food consumption structure of Chinese residents had experienced the transformation of food and nutrition patterns which was based on plant food to animal food.The greenhouse gas emissions of food consumption increased from 1.283 billion tons CO2e in 2002 to 1.730 billion tons CO2e in 2012,with an annual average growth rate of 3%.The direct emission of the agricultural production process was the main part of the total emission from food consumption.From 2002 to 2012,the proportion of indirect greenhouse gas emission from food production and process to the total greenhouse gas emissions of food consumption increased from 27%in 2002 to 33%in 2012.There was a significant difference in the consumption of urban and rural residents' dietary consumption.The per capita carbon emission of urban resident was significantly higher than that of rural residents.From 2002 to 2012,the growth rate of both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions per capita of rural residents was higher than that of urban residents.The gap of the greenhouse gas emissions between urban and rural residents' dietary consumption was narrowing.The per capita carbon emissions from urban and rural residents' dietary consumption were mainly from animal food.From 2002 to 2012,the growth rate of greenhouse gas emissions from urban residents' consumption of plant food was significantly higher than that of animal food.The characteristics of the greenhouse gas emissions from the animal and plant food of the rural residents were opposite to the urban residents.Economic factors were the most important driving factors to drive the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from Chinese residents' dietary consumption.Technical factors had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of greenhouse gas emission from residents' dietary consumption,but the effect had weakened from 2002 to 2012.The increase in population and continuous urbanization had contributed to the growth of the greenhouse gas emissions from the residents' dietary consumption.The contribution of industrial structure change to the indirect carbon emissions of redisents' dietary consumption showed different trends in the two periods of 2002-2007 and 2007-2012.The change of industrial structure promoted greenhouse gas emission reduction from 2007 to 2012.With the improvement of income level,the dietary pattern of Chinese residents was gradually changing from the Eastern diet mode to the Western diet mode,which was mainly featured by high-meat,high-energy,high-fat,high-protein and low-fiber consumption.In the Western diet mode,the direct greenhouse gas emissions of Chinese residents' dietary consumption in 2030 are 1.7-2.2 times that of the baseline scenario.And the per capita calories,protein and fat supply are both much higher than those of the baseline scenario.When the dietary structure turned to the dietary patterns of Japan and Taiwan in the East Asian diet mode,the per capita greenhouse gas footprint of Chinese residents' dietary consumption decreases.The per capita food consumption of heat and protein supply also decreases.Under the low carbon and healthy Japanese diet structure,the intake of animal and plant food is appropriate,and the intake of energy can also meet the needs.This kind of diet structure can not only avoid nutrition deficiency and overnutrition,but also can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of food consumption.Based on the above conclusions,this paper puts forward some policy recommendations to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from food consumption,such as improving the efficiency of resource and energy utilization in the whole life cycle of food production.The implementation of food carbon labeling signs can help reduce the emissions.Vigorously promoting the environmental protection and healthy diet mode is also a good way.