Canned sprat. Photo: Flickr.com /Marco Verch CC BY

Climate impact from seafood

Pelagic species such as sprat, herring and mackerel are preferable choices from a nutritional and climate perspective, according to a recent Swedish study. The researchers ranked 37 types of seafood that are commonly consumed in Sweden by their climate impact and nutritional value. At the other end, with low nutrient density and high climate impact, were northern prawn, pangasius and plaice.

The wide variability in production methods among seafood was reflected in the greenhouse gas emissions. Small pelagic species such as herring and mackerel were among the top performers. Crustaceans, flatfish, scallops and oysters had the highest climate impact, due to a combination of resource-intensive production technologies and/or low edible yield.

Most seafoods scored higher in the combined nutrient-climate metric than land-based meat, such as pork, beef and chicken.

The authors stress that this type of evaluation should be combined with other sustainability criteria such as stock exploitation, eutrophication, biological risks, spread of antimicrobial resistance etc.

Science direct, 1 September 2019 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619313162

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Climate impact from seafood

In this issue

Not even 1.5°C is good enough

Editorial: IPCC Ocean and Cryosphere report is a powerful diplomatic asset

Capacity is no longer a reason for subsidies to fossil power

Increasing renewable energy targets for the EU

EU law instrumental for cleaning up power plants

Achieving a sustainable food future

Prompt climate action needed to ensure food supplies

Environmental impacts of ship scrubbers

Ship emissions debate continues

Six countries still breach binding air pollution limits

Global SO2 air pollution hotspots mapped

Swedish refinery at crossroads: 2X fossil future contested

Hydrogen choices

In Breif

UK aims for zero-emission ships by 2025

10,000 EU staff call for coal phase-out by 2025

Court rulings on air pollution

Climate change and the Andean cryosphere

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Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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