This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Switching to a more sustainable diet could halve food-related emissions in cities such as Amsterdam, while in cities such as Dhaka and Delhi, the focus should be more on making food production more sustainable as they widen food access. A new database by Leiden researchers shows that different cities need different approaches to achieve a more sustainable food system.
Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) examined the climate impact of dietary patterns in cities around the world. To do so, they developed a database that maps greenhouse gas emissions linked to food consumption in 12,228 cities across 159 countries. The findings are published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The study shows that the world's 200 largest cities together account for almost half of all urban food-related emissions. But the drivers behind those emissions vary greatly from city to city. The researchers looked at the effects of the EAT-Lancet diet, an internationally recognized dietary pattern that combines health and sustainability.
In wealthier cities, adopting such a diet often leads to substantial emission reductions. "In the Netherlands, food supply chains are already relatively efficient," says first author Hongyi Cai. "That means the greatest gains can be achieved through dietary changes, such as eating less meat.
In Amsterdam, switching to the EAT-Lancet diet could reduce emissions by around 45% to 50%." But this does not apply everywhere. In cities such as Dhaka and Delhi, following the same diet could actually increase emissions. This is because people there already eat fewer animal-based products on average.
"For these cities, we need to expand access to nutritious food while keeping the environmental costs as low as possible," says co-author Shruti Jain. "The main challenge is ensuring that people have access to a sufficient variety of nutritious foods, such as pulses, nuts and vegetables, while also making the supply chains that produce them more sustainable." Dietary patterns explain around 48% of the differences in emissions between the cities studied. The efficiency of the food supply chain explains a further 48%.
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