Over the past decade, a notable spike in interest in and concern about the problem of climate change has been observed. The lack the extent of attention that the problem has been receiving after its immediate discovery and before the current turmoil does not suggest that it has been resolved in any sense. Instead, the false sense of security that came after viewing the ostensibly minor and barely noticeable outcomes of climate change dulled people’s interest in the subject matter (Flavelle, 2019).
However, nowadays, when the outcomes of climate change have reached a truly dramatic scale, the need to introduce change has finally been recognized (Flavelle, 2019). In order to address the problem of climate change in relation to the overproduction of food, a more responsible attitude toward its consumption and a drop in the rates of consumerism could be advised as the means of removing the concern.
Since the increase in consumption currently represents the main driving force behind climate change, companies producing the goods that contribute to the negative environmental impact are unlikely to change their course of action due to the fear of losing profits. Consequently, buyers worldwide will need to prompt change by altering consumption patterns, thus, calling for a reduction in the extent of produced meat and other goods that indirectly affect the pace and extent of climate change (Plumer, 2018). Moreover, holding organizations accountable for the effect that they produce on the environment must also be regarded as an urgent measure for curbing the rates of climate change and ensuring that the
The problem of imbalance in product consumption as one of the main causes of climate change has been raised quite a number of times, yet its visibility has been impaired to a significant extent up until recently. In turn, with the rise in the scale of global production of food and the resulting increase in the extent of livestock population produced in order to produce the amount of food that the current manufacturing rates require, the balance in resource consumption has been disrupted significantly.
Namely, according to Plumer (2020), due to the increase in the extent of meat needed to sustain the food industry, the increased cattle population has been affecting the rates of forest growth and the number of trees present in it to produce the required amount of oxygen and process the increased CO2 volume. Therefore, fast food has a direct effect on the climate change process due to the increase in the disparities between the range of green areas, particularly, forests, and the number of cattle, which also represents a source of CO2 (Fountain, 2020). Overall, Fountain (2020) and Plumer (2020) demonstrate rather accurately that the food industry and climate change are closely interconnected.
In turn, the effects that the increased food production and the resulting climate change have been having on the environment and people’s lives have been quite profound and drastic. For instance, Severson (2019) explains that the predictability of seasonal weather changes has been completely disrupted as the weather alterations have been turning increasingly difficult to forecast. Furthermore, the rise in the extent of food consumption and the following increase in the range of cattle, specifically, the number of cows, used to produce the necessary amount of meat, has been especially devastating for humankind as multiple forest areas have been decreasing in size.
Although the described change appears to have become monumental, managing it still represents a possibility. However, to produce a noticeable impact, a global joined effort will be required. Specifically, the rates of consumerism will need to be curbed so that people would not buy more than they could eat (Plumer, 2018). Moreover, the specified change will also concern eating at the restaurant, buying food online, as well as any other type of food purchase.
As soon as a conscious effort is made to address the situation and show global organizations people’s willingness to change the current situation, a shift in the rates of food production and the resulting change in the extent and scale of climate change are expected to occur. Furthermore, regulatory mechanisms for holding companies accountable for the overproduction of food must be introduced.
To address the problem of climate change, the issue of food production and, therefore, the rates of food consumption globally must be addressed in a joined conscious effort produced by buyers worldwide. Once people demonstrate their willingness to address the problem of climate change and show their refusal to consume the food that has been produced unethically, specifically, in abundance and as a result of overproduction, a positive shift may occur. Specifically, the described effort may result in a drop in the rate of climate change and a noticeable improvement in the current situation. However, to achieve the described goal, global awareness must be built so that people could refuse to participate in the consumerism culture as it is related to food on a worldwide scale.
References
Flavelle, C. (2019). Climate Change Threatens the World’s Food Supply, United Nations Warns. The New York Times. Web.
Fountain, H. (2020). Cutting greenhouse gases from food production is urgent, scientists say. The New York Times. Web.
Plumer, B. (2018). Can we grow more food on less land? We’ll have to, a new study finds. The New York Times. Web.
Plumer, B. (2020). The meat business, a big contributor to climate change, faces major tests. The New York Times. Web.
Severson, K. (2019). From apples to popcorn, climate change is altering the foods America grows. The New York Times. Web.