Why Greece should bank on its diet for double dividend in climate, health

Athens, May 22 (360info) Greece stands to reap a powerful “double dividend” – reduced agricultural emissions and a healthier population – by simply returning to its traditional Mediterranean diet.

New modelling underscores the steep environmental and health costs of current Greek eating habits, while projecting significant rewards from a widespread dietary shift.

The global food system’s impact The global food system is a major driver of biodiversity loss, land-use change, unsustainable freshwater consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Agriculture occupies over a third of potentially cultivable land, placing significant pressure on natural resources and planetary boundaries, thereby contributing to climate change, biodiversity decline, and soil degradation.

Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use accounts for 11-12 per cent of global GHG emissions. Within the European Union, nearly 45 per cent of all environmental impacts originate from the agri-food systems and agricultural emissions show subpar progress over the last 30 years, despite substantial spending through the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

Addressing the shortcomings of the agri-food system and investing in its sustainable transformation could yield up to USD 10 trillion.

Greece’s agricultural landscape Agriculture is a crucial sector in Greece, contributing 4 per cent of GDP and employing 11 per cent of the workforce — the second highest among the 27 EU member states.

Greece excels in high-value products like olive oil, where it ranks among top global producers, along with significant production of tomatoes, peaches, and grapes for both domestic use and exports.

The Greek agri-food system generates 7-9 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and consumes over 80 per cent of the country’s water.

While emissions are gradually decreasing, the sector faces challenges from slow technological adoption and persistent low productivity.

How our plates can help the planet Reducing GHG emissions from agri-food systems can be catalysed (on the demand side) through a bold change in our dietary patterns.

The quality of our diet – what we eat – is far more important than where we source our food from.

In this vein, the Mediterranean diet, rich in fruit ,vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and low in red meat and sugar, can prove to be, on top of its well-documented benign health effects, a catalyst for climate change mitigation through GHG emissions abatement.

The concomitant fall in red meat consumption puts a dent on livestock emissions (mostly methane), whilst more land is freed-up for afforestation and away from livestock farming halting biodiversity loss and bolstering ecosystem services.

Subdued meat consumption reduces food waste, which is associated with 8-10 per cent of global GHG emissions, and thwarts the use of fertilisers and pesticides mitigating their adverse effects.

Eating away from tradition Despite being in the heart of the Mediterranean, eating habits in Greece fall far from the pillars of the Mediterranean diet. Senior adults (over 65 years) show greater adherence to the diet compared with younger adults (under 65 years), indicating that younger generations are moving away from traditional dietary patterns.

Current food consumption patterns in Greece carry potential negative consequences for health outcomes such as morbidity and mortality, including a heightened risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Greek teenagers do not adhere to the Mediterranean diet and rank among the worst when it comes to the adoption of healthy lifestyles.

The FABLE Calculator The FABLE Consortium (Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land use and Energy) is a global collaborative of researchers who develop national pathways for land-use, food and agricultural systems that are consistent with global sustainability objectives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement targets.

Calculations and development of sustainable pathways are carried out using the FABLE Calculator, a potent accounting tool including 88 raw and processed indicators on the agricultural sector, the economy and population.

Using a demand-based approach the Calculator projects levels of greenhouse gas emissions, land use and land use change, biodiversity, agricultural production at product level, and economic indicators such as the agricultural trade balance.

The pathways are developed following the combination of predetermined and custom-built scenarios across 22 thematic categories covering climate change scenarios, policy implementation, behavioral aspects, dietary patterns, and trade.

The process yields a portfolio of more than 1.5 billion potential pathways for 2050 which allow for critical evaluations of their feasibility, distributional aspects, and economic efficiency.

What a dietary shift means for Greece The Greek FABLE Team used the FABLE Calculator to project the impacts of a shift in local food consumption according to the basic tenets of the Mediterranean diet.

Keeping all other assumptions compatible with the Current Trends scenario, we find that switching to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a 5 per cent drop in GHG emissions from agriculture by 2030 and 46 per cent by 2050 compared to current trends.

Compared to a business-as-usual scenario, these reductions increase to 15 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.

This is primarily due to reduced consumption and a significant decrease in pastureland, where there is a 40-60 per cent drop in CH4 livestock emissions from enteric methane and 35-55 per cent drop in nitrogen dioxide from less fertiliser and manure management needed.

The shift is linked to a sharp reduction in agricultural production costs, but also a substantial drop in livestock production, highlighting the need to integrate supply side measures that enhance crop and livestock productivity as well as targeted income support for farmers.

Greece urged to adopt policies for Mediterranean diet shift Widespread Mediterranean diet adoption in Greece could significantly reduce GHG emissions (particularly from livestock) and pesticide costs, while delivering established health benefits.

This dietary shift, enhanced by agro-ecological practices and productivity improvements, requires strategic policy interventions.

Policy initiatives should aim to succinctly include incorporating the Mediterranean diet into the National Health Strategy, expanding social programs promoting healthy eating patterns, and aligning with the EU Farm2Fork Strategy.

The country would benefit from adopting proven healthy diet awareness campaigns—as demonstrated by Canada, Denmark, and Finland– that highlight health and environmental benefits.

The agricultural sector requires incentives to adapt to healthier dietary patterns that reduce livestock production and restructure supply through new technologies and agro-ecological practices.

Supporting local small-scale producers through community gardens and urban agriculture will improve access to nutritious Mediterranean foods while strengthening social cohesion within communities. (360info.org) PY PY