Food waste’s role in climate change has long been a driving topic for publications like BioCycle, as well as for environmental groups, organics recyclers and other invested parties. The Drawdown report echoes those conversations already playing out in the sector, but is notable for its emphasis on the extent to which waste reduction and the industry can play a role in dramatically limiting global warming.
Reducing food waste is considered critical to staving off 2˚C of warming, the report argues, pointing to the ceiling temperature increase laid out in the Paris climate agreement. The item ranks lower down for efforts to cut off warming under 1.5˚C, the Paris agreement’s more ambitious goal. Expanding onshore wind power and utility-scale solar power both rank in front of food waste for the latter metric, emphasizing the importance of an energy transition.
Materials seen as more circular — like bioplastics or concrete made from fly ash — are also important, Project Drawdown maintains. Companies like Starbucks and McDonald’s — who are driving the NextGen Cup Challenge — are already seeking alternatives to their current waste stream issues and the report suggests such endeavors are critical. The report’s findings are also up against new realities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracie Bills, a senior project manager with SCS Engineers, told Waste Dive that California has not pushed back its timeline for organics regulations, and municipalities and companies are still planning with that in mind. But that could be re-evaluated in the coming months as the pandemic peaks.
Source: Waste Dive
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