reducing food system
impacts on climate change
TIME: 20 minutes
PURPOSE: Explain how the food system is linked to the global issue of climate change.
MATERIALS:
• Food System Greenhouse Gas Emissions graphic - (on page 82)
• Livestock Greenhouse Gas Emission Slide - (on page 83)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Display the Food System Greenhouse Gas Emissions graphic.
2. Tell participants to examine the chart and ask: Which areas of the food system are responsible
for the most GHG emissions? Are these statistics surprising? Why?
3. Display the Livestock Greenhouse Gas Emissions slide. Emphasize that globally, livestock
production accounts for the vast majority of GHG emissions from agriculture, and more GHG
emissions than the entire transportation sector.
4. Instruct participants to pair up and list different sources of GHG emissions from the food
system, rank them in order of importance, and propose interventions that could reduce
emissions from each source.
5. Ask participants to report back from their pairs. As a group, discuss:
a. Which sources of GHG emissions did you prioritize for interventions?
b. Will the proposed interventions be effective? Why or why not?
c. What steps would be involved in making them a reality?
d. What barriers might you need to overcome?
Activity from FoodSpan Learning’s “Reducing Food System Contributions to Climate Change,”
2016, accessed November 11, 2018
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