In the wise words of Former US President Barack Obama “We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.”
Mankind’s undeniable and inevitable affinity to pursue greatness through all eras of history from the basic Stone Ages to the trailblazing Industrial Revolution has led to an improved quality of life, so how can the climate predicament be deemed potentially life-threatening? The burning of fossil fuels and conversion of forests to agriculture on a global scale not only increases greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) like carbon dioxide (CO2)and methane (CH4) but prevents CO2 from being absorbed by plants as well, essentially ‘trapping more heat’ in the atmosphere. This leads to climate change, where there's a change in average climate conditions and an increased likelihood of extreme events. This negatively impacts the global food supply.
How Is Our Diet Linked To Climate Change?
Food is an essential part of our lives, whether it be as a source of energy, a source of comfort or even an integral part of many social gatherings. The chink in the armor of the food system is that the well-being of the environment and ourselves haven’t been given much monetary value, making it easy to carelessly squander it with no immediate (financial) downside. According to the WHO, varying weather patterns (rainfall patterns, seawater warming) and natural disasters reduce agricultural, fishery and aquaculture outputs which causes hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition to increase. As fruits and vegetables become more expensive compared to inexpensive commodity ingredients such as sugar and oils, it’s easier to adopt unhealthy diets leading to obesity and malnutrition. Furthermore the current food system’s rising meat availability is a good predictor for obesity and a prime driver for deforestation and GHGE.
Since Southeast Asia has high reliance on climate-sensitive livelihoods, higher poverty and food insecurity levels, and highly populated areas which are exposed to climate-related hazards it’s important to educate ASEAN people to switch to a greener diet to protect their health and the planet.
The YSEALI Summit’s theme on Health and Education supports the message of instilling beneficial knowledge to improve one’s decision-making process to give adequate weight to the environmental and physical impact of food choices. Through the YSEALI Summit Small Grants Track 2022, participants were encouraged to partake in cross-country collaboration and work together in addressing some pressing issues of climate change. One of the 7 winning projects, SEAFoodies’ project, is focusing specifically on the Health and Education theme as they champion the availability of accessing helpful educational resources to combat the rising prevalence of poor nutrition in SEA countries.
Team SEAFoodies
The overall purpose of the project is tackling the issue of malnutrition and the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition in SEA countries by creating a collaborative space through hosting informative workshops to promote sustainable and nutritious food choices. The main issues concern obesity which has been on a steady incline due to poor food choices which can partly be attributed to the distribution of knowledge, food production and food accessibility. Currently, food production is responsible for more than 1/3 of GHGE released from food waste in landfills bringing about extreme environmental impacts. The rise of meat-based farming consumes large areas of land and emits the highest percentage of GHG compared to grains, legumes and fruits and vegetables. Team SEAFoodies promote alternative diets that incorporate nutrient-dense wholesome food that’s healthy for you as well as the planet! They also discuss ways in which one can manage food waste and share freely accessible resources to reduce one’s carbon footprint. The project held 1 virtual and 3 in-person events which took place successfully during August and September. Their last event on September 25th aimed to increase awareness on sustainable food consumption habits and called Bruneian audiences to reflect on the climate impact of their lifestyle and incorporate a mindful healthy lifestyle to benefit themselves as well as the planet.
In terms of positively impacting the community, SEAFoodies’ project is essentially a collaborative space for sustainable and healthy dietary habits to spread the warmth of food in an influential way. Phase 1 of this project involved workshops and webinars on meaningful nutrition knowledge, meal planning training, climate impact of food, avoiding food waste and waste management. Phase 2 supported the accessibility of important nutrition knowledge via a Food Thrive recipe book which helps consumers identify the relationship between food, health and the planet in fun, creative and informative illustrations.
Follow us on Instagram to keep up with the latest news on our environmental efforts!
