Summary
This study examined the main drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in Denmark. Food export GHG emissions amounted to 5.74 megatones compared to 3.57 megatones for food imports. 78% of the GHG emissions of exports came from farmed animals, and 15% came from cereals (75% of which is fed to farm animals). Factory farming in North, South and Central Denmark contributed 86% of the total food production emissions. Processed meat and other animal-based food products contributed to 83% of food production GHG emissions. Vegetables, fruit and nuts accounted for 3% of consumption-based GHG emissions for all regions. A strength of this study is the in-depth examination of GHG emissions for different food categories. A limitation acknowledged by the researchers is that different data sources provided different GHG emissions estimates resulting in the need to calculate novel estimates. Also, there was no data from 2020 given confidentiality barriers. The authors encourage Danish people to increase the use of urban farming (e.g. vegetable gardens), implement policies which advocate for dietary changes from animal-based to plant-based diets, and provide more plant-based food options in public spaces.
This paper presents a calculation of Denmark's production and consumption-based accounting CO2e emissions for five regions in 2011. We apply an environmentally extended economic model for Danish municipalities known as the Local “INterregional” Economic (LINE) model, together with a multi-regional input-output model for the world economy (EXIOBASE v3.4). We find that Denmark's Capital region accounts for 41% (28 MtCO2e) and 31% (27 MtCO2e) of Denmark's production and consumption-based emissions respectively. By disaggregating regional emissions into industry and product categories, we provide relevant information to producers and consumers in each region concerning areas where the most significant differences towards reducing their carbon footprint can be realised. Mobility, services, food and shelter were the main drivers of emissions in all Danish regions. The Central, North and South Denmark accounted for more than half (9.56 MtCO2e) of Denmark's food production emissions. The Capital region was the largest source of emissions (3.79 MtCO2e) related to food consumption. We suggest that dietary changes towards less red meat and dairy products can potentially reduce regional food-related emissions of Danish households. Our results indicate that modest changes in consumer lifestyles are pivotal for local climate mitigation policies, especially in Denmark's biggest cities, Copenhagen, Århus, Aalborg and Odense.