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Many people do not understand the link between eating and climate change, ESRI finds

State think tank reports widespread misunderstanding of how food choices matter to climate

Many people are unware that red meat is linked to high carbon emissions, a ESRI study has found. Photograph: iStock

Tim O'Brien
Thu May 9 2024 - 00:01

Many people do not yet understand how what they choose to eat can affect climate change, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

When invited to list the everyday behaviours that contribute to their carbon footprint, just one in 25 adults mentioned their diet. Any references to food were more likely to be about where it came from or how it was packaged than whether meals contain foods linked to high emissions, such as red meat.

In the study, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, 1,200 adults completed online diaries about their day and then listed the actions they thought mattered most for their carbon footprint.

The findings reveal widespread misunderstandings, according to researchers at the ESRI.

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One in five people who travelled by car did not identify driving as a source of carbon emissions. Almost half did not list home energy use and those who did were more likely to mention cooking than heating water or using white appliances, both of which produce higher carbon emissions.

The study also found that many people in Ireland have tried to reduce their carbon footprint, with 40 per cent saying that they had reduced emissions from transport, mainly by driving less often. Another 25 per cent said they would like to reduce their transport emissions but cannot, mostly because they do not have access to public transport. However, 30 per cent saw no need to change their transport behaviour.

A quarter of respondents said they had changed what they eat to reduce their carbon footprint. A slightly larger proportion, 27 per cent, reported that they would like to but cannot, mostly citing cost and knowledge about what to eat as the biggest difficulties. However, the largest group, 47 per cent, did not see a need to change what they eat.

“Most people recognise the need to reduce their own carbon footprint and many have already made changes to their daily life,” said Dr Shane Timmons of the ESRI’s behavioural research unit. “But knowing which actions make the biggest difference is a big problem, particularly when it comes to food. More guidance about how to make affordable, nutritious meals that limit foods with high emissions might help. Continued improvements in public transport, like those set out in the Climate Action Plan, would also mean that many people who are already willing to change how they travel could do so.”

Dr Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “Responding to the climate crises requires collective action to reduce our daily emissions. It is clear from this research that much better information is needed to inform people what actions they can take to make the biggest difference to their carbon footprint. This research provides valuable insights to help inform the design of both effective climate policies and public information campaigns”.

[ We can eat ourselves and our planet healthier with wise food choices ]

The full research paper, titled What is preventing individual climate action? Impact awareness and perceived difficulties in changing transport and food behaviour, by Shane Timmons, Ylva Andersson, Maria Lee and Pete Lunn, is published in the ESRI’s Research Series.

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an Irish Times journalist

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