The Carbon Cost of Christmas Dinner
Christmas Day is right around the corner and that means it’s almost time for everyone to gather around the table for a holiday feast. Back in November, the international climate change conference, COP26, occurred in Glasgow and the menus there featured the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions per kilogram for each meal. Klimato, a Swedish start-up, helped calculate the climate impacts from each meal that was served during the conference. Foods that exceeded 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs) CO2e were deemed “high carbon footprint” foods. This had me wondering how these emissions standards apply to traditional American Christmas foods.
Turkey (59.5 lbs CO2e) or Ham (38.5 lbs CO2e)
Meat has always come at a higher carbon emission cost, so I expected this number to be high. A 12 lb turkey for 8–10 people is 59.5 lbs CO2e, while a 7 lb ham for 8–10 people is 38.5 lbs CO2e. While both of these meats fall behind lamb and beef in emissions, they are much higher than plant-based alternatives.
Mashed Potatoes (3.2 lbs CO2e)
Mashed potatoes are typically made up of potatoes, milk, and butter. Using a classic mashed potato recipe, two pounds of potatoes are 2.3 lbs CO2e, one cup of 2% milk is 0.86 lbs CO2e, and two tablespoons of butter are 0.03 lbs CO2e. Adding a vegetarian gravy had minimal emissions at roughly 0.02 lbs CO2e.
Meat-based Stuffing (24 lbs CO2e)
While ingredients in stuffing can differ depending on traditions or preferences, meat-based stuffings are higher in emissions than their meat-free counterparts. A ham or turkey based stuffing can contribute up to 24 lbs of CO2e.
Cranberry Sauce (1.5 lbs CO2e)
Enough cranberry sauce to serve up to 10 people came in right around 1.5 lbs of CO2e.
Brussels Sprouts (0.57 lbs CO2e)
Vegetables always seem to rank relatively low on carbon emissions. A roughly two pound bag of Brussels sprouts produced 0.57 lbs of CO2e.
Pecan Pie (1.8 lbs CO2e)
Although there is variation in the types of nut pies, the average pecan pie for 8 people generates roughly 1.8 lbs of CO2e. Pumpkin pies generally had less emissions than a nut-based pie however.
So what were the total emissions for a holiday meal designed for roughly 8–10 people? 69.6 lbs of CO2e for a ham dinner and 90.6 for a turkey dinner! That can equate to anywhere from 6.96–11.33 lbs of CO2e per person — over three times higher than the maximum recommended carbon footprint per meal at COP26.
So what can be done to reduce emissions?
Two things: add more vegetables to your diet and buy locally sourced food. Meat was the main source of carbon emissions in this holiday meal, so it makes sense that the most effective way to lower your carbon emissions is by eating less meat and more vegetables. In addition, sourcing ingredients locally can save on processing and shipping emissions, while sourcing from those who use regenerative agriculture practices or natural pesticides can further help emissions (with many other environmental benefits!). Growing vegetables in your own garden or greenhouse (or even starting with your windowsill space) can have a considerable impact as well. So what do your holiday meals usually consist of and will you be changing anything to help curb carbon emissions?
