Climate-Conscious Eating: Lessons from the Paris Olympics

The stage was set for the Paris Olympics, held from July 26th to August 11th 2024, which hosted 10,500 athletes from around the world. While all eyes were on this global event, the authorities seized the opportunity to catch this attention towards something significant: the concept of sustainability. And to represent their perspective, food was chosen to be the medium.    

Illustration by The Geostrata

Hailed as the largest restaurant in the world, a former electrical power plant was converted into a dining hall, spanning 700 feet in the center of the Olympic Village, serving approximately 45,000 meals every day.  A wide range of 500 different dishes was served in the dining hall in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

The building was thus a tribute to environment-conscious adaptation as an almost century-old power plant of wrought-iron skeleton that became a movie studio before being transformed over the past year into a giant restaurant. 

In addition to the two on-site French restaurants which lacked the country’s classics like steak tartare and wine, there were also six “grab-and-go” stations serving cuisine from Asia, Afro-Caribbean meals, burgers, Middle Eastern fare and halal dishes. Ranging from vegetarian shawarma, grilled eggplant, beetroot falafel, vegetarian hot dogs and quinoa muesli, the Paris Olympics menu stood apart.

This menu tasted like climate consciousness. The chefs in charge, Charles Guilloy and Stéphane Chicheri, served a more health, safety, and environment-conscious menu.

Surprisingly, French Fries did not find a place in the Olympics menu. Charles Guilloy, in an interview, pointed out how each item on the menu has been put with utmost ethical and environmental considerations. “French fries are too risky because of fire-hazard concerns over deep-fat fryers. No to foie gras because animal well-being is on everyone’s mind, and no to avocados because they are imported from a great distance and consume a lot of water.”

The usage of single-use utensils and dishware was banned in an attempt to observe a zero-waste environment. Intending to cut the carbon impacts of the Tokyo and London Olympics in half, an estimated 80% of the ingredients came from France itself, about a quarter of which was within 155 miles or so of Paris. 

With all these actions, the Paris Olympics brought into discussion the concept of “Climate Conscious Eating.” The planet is warming up, and the clock is ticking for us to reflect on our actions, to the most micro level, to reverse the damage that has been done. Rethinking how we take nutrition is one way to do that. The concept advocates for mindful eating habits that take in environmental and sustainability concerns.

The concept of climate-sensitive eating is emerging as an important topic of discussion in the contemporary discourse on sustainability and environmental conservation.

This approach emphasises consciously making food choices that reduce their negative impact on the environment. 

This article delves into an analysis of the science of rapidly developing belief systems and their impact on the environment, especially concerning climate-conscious eating.

GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Karl Popper, in his theory of falsification, highlights the weakness and environmental inefficiency of the modern global food system. Post-industrial countries often rely on imports from underdeveloped countries to meet their food demand. This reliance can lead to severe environmental degradation in the exporting countries, forcing them to produce more food in an unsustainable manner.  Indonesia, the land with the highest plant species richness in the world, unfortunately has the highest rate of deforestation.

This is the result of increasing demand for palm oil in industrial countries. Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil and is paying a heavy price to meet the global demand. Naturally tropical forests were replaced with monoculture crop systems that led to the depletion of the rich biodiversity and destruction of old-growth rainforest.

Emissions from deforestation and the processing of palm oil significantly contribute to the industry’s carbon footprint. Agricultural expansionism for commercial purposes, especially across Southeast Asian countries, has greatly impacted the rich biodiversity of these nations. We must reflect on the implications of such large-scale damage to our ecosystem and opt for food that is produced with environmental and ethical consideration.

In food production, scientific advances have brought in significant innovations in farming practices like intensive farming, the application of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and the cultivation of high-yielding crops. Such innovations have led to an increase in the availability of food in many regions, especially cities.

On the negative side, they come with serious environmental implications. This results from increased levels of land degradation, reduced species variety or higher methane production rates through burning down forests for cultivation. Like in the case of Maharashtra's sugarcane industry, where the introduction of high-yielding sugarcane varieties initially boosted the industry, being a water-intensive crop, it depleted the water table significantly, leading the regions towards desertification.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TRADITIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE

Traditional farming practices like Polyculture in Latin America, Agroforestry in Africa, Zai Pits in Africa and Terracing in Asia are a few examples of farming practices developed over centuries across different cultures around the globe. These practices have the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change with spatial and sequential diversity. 

Traditional agricultural systems in different parts of the world use natural crops that promote regional biodiversity, thus contributing to long-term environmental balance. These practices are rooted in the understanding of the regional biodiversity and local environmental conditions that offer a much more sustainable alternative as compared to contemporary agriculture.

In contrast, modern industrial agriculture stands as a major contributor to climate change. Deforestation for agricultural land, methane emissions, and increased use of raw materials like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides all contribute to the increased carbon footprint of agriculture. Global food supply dependent on increased transport and storage significantly add up to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. 

Increasing food sovereignty through localized food production and consumption provides solutions to mitigate these issues.

“Traditional foods that emphasize local and seasonal ingredients have a low carbon footprint and help reduce the environmental impact associated with today’s global food system.”

Local food systems help get food going sustainably and positively by reducing transportation-related emissions by supporting local economies. The concept also emphasizes people’s right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced using environmentally friendly methods.

Some studies advocate that switching to a more plant-based diet can be an important part of being climate-conscious. Many traditional diets around the world are predominantly plant-based and in tune with climate-related principles. If we look at the Mediterranean and Asian diets, they tend to emphasize more on vegetables, grains and fruits based foods, which are environmentally friendly. While reducing meat consumption and moving towards plant-based foods can reduce the amount of carbon emissions in our diet, a complete switch is not the answer to the problem.

Plant based foods like avocados and almonds have an equal or greater carbon footprint than a meat-based diet. Being a major export crop, transportation over long distances and water-intensive farming add up to the environmental degradation beyond just carbon emissions. The key is to adopt a more nuanced system which integrates sustainable livestock management along with mixed farming systems. 

BALANCING SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

The synergy between scientific progress and conventional wisdom is essential to achieving sustainable food systems.

While scientific advances have led to significant improvements in food production, they often come with environmental costs that cannot be overlooked. 

In the case of the introduction of Genetically Modified Crops (GMOs) it led to improvements in food production and pest management but at a significant environmental cost. These crops negatively affect the agriculture ecosystem with the creation of herbicide weeds and are associated with a net increase of herbicide use on crops in the regions.

Opting for alternatives like the produce of organic farming and natural fertilizers is the way to a more climate-conscious diet. Here, the rational approach is to combine scientific knowledge with traditional practices to create food systems that minimize environmental impact. 

To educate and create public awareness are equally important. The consumers need to be informed about the environmental impact of their food choices along with the benefits of sustainable food practices. Educational campaigns, labeling programs, and community programs can be the tools to do so. Governmental and institutional measures remain crucial for encouraging eating habits that are sensitive to climatic changes.

A CALL FOR A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

In conclusion, we need to critically rethink our practices to address the biological shortfall in modern scientific thinking in food production.

By combining the power of scientific innovation with traditional sustainability wisdom, we can create food systems that are not only efficient but are resilient and environmentally responsible.

Such a holistic approach is critical to achieving long-term environmental balance and ensuring the sustainability of human life and the natural world.

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BY DEEPIKA GUPTA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

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