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Assessing the Carbon Emission Driven by the Consumption of Carbohydrate-Rich Foods: The Case of China
Yang, Xiaoke Zhang, Zhihang Chen, Huangyixin Zhao, Rongrong Xu, Zhongyue Xie, Anguo Chen, Qiuhua
Yang, Xiaoke
Zhang, Zhihang
Chen, Huangyixin
Zhao, Rongrong
Xu, Zhongyue
Xie, Anguo
Chen, Qiuhua
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2019-03-28
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Yang, X.; Zhang, Z.; Chen, H.; Zhao, R.; Xu, Z.; Xie, A.; Chen, Q. Assessing the Carbon Emission Driven by the Consumption of Carbohydrate-Rich Foods: The Case of China. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11071875
Abstract
Background: Carbohydrate-rich (CR) foods are essential parts of the Chinese diet.
However, CR foods are often given less attention than animal-based foods. The objectives of this
study were to analyze the carbon emissions caused by CR foods and to generate sustainable diets with
low climate impact and adequate nutrients. Methods: Twelve common CR food consumption records
from 4857 individuals were analyzed using K-means clustering algorithms. Furthermore, linear
programming was used to generate optimized diets. Results: Total carbon emissions by CR foods was
683.38g CO2eq per day per capita, accounting for an annual total of 341.9Mt CO2eq. All individuals
were ultimately divided into eight clusters, and none of the popular clusters were low carbon or
nutrient sufficient. Optimized diets could reduce about 40% of carbon emissions compared to the
average current diet. However, significant structural differences exist between the current diet and
optimized diets. Conclusions: To reduce carbon emissions from the food chain, CR foods should be a
research focus. Current Chinese diets need a big change to achieve positive environmental and health
goals. The reduction of rice and wheat-based foods and an increase of bean foods were the focus of
structural dietary change in CR food consumption.
Funder
Fujian Provincial Social Science Research Base for Ecological Civilization
Guangdong Planning Projects of Philosophy and Social Science
Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
Fujian Provincial Social Science Research Base for Ecological Civilization
Chinese Ministry of Education
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
Guangdong Planning Projects of Philosophy and Social Science
Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
Fujian Provincial Social Science Research Base for Ecological Civilization
Chinese Ministry of Education
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation