Cities run on energy, accounting for about 75% of global energy consumption. Sustainable energy allows cities to power development while reducing adverse environmental effects. They can save energy in all sectors, including transport, building, street lighting, and agriculture.
Renewable energy is one of the strategies for sustainable energy use. Cities should intensify efforts to leverage solar, wind, hydro, and biomass to produce clean and sustainable energy. That would help cut back on fossil fuel emissions significantly.
Energy-efficient buildings also offer opportunities to cut back energy use, covering the construction phase and its operational life cycle. So, builders should use eco-friendly construction materials and techniques that allow natural thermal regulation and lighting.
Sustainable urban development advocates integrating biodiversity into the built environment. It aims to ensure that plant and animal communities remain resilient not as immaculate lawns and potted plants but as biodiverse ecosystems that offer ecological services.
Biodiverse green spaces, green roofs, natural waterways, bio-corridors, eco-brutalist architecture, etc, typify sustainable urban landscapes.
To achieve that, city authorities mandate the conservation of high-value ecosystems home to critical or endangered species. They also ensure that green spaces are occupied by appropriate native vegetation that supports pollinators and small animals.
Some say sustainable cities are a utopia that can only exist in imagination. However, various sustainable practices executed across America and Europe prove possible.
If you love sugar, you may not like this one. Sadly, sugar has one of the worst environmental footprints. WWF reveals that sugarcane is one of the most harmful crops for the planet2, as it replaces habitats rich in plant, insect, and animal life.
Moreover, it requires the intensive use of land, water, and pesticides while causing soil erosion and deforestation.
Some deforested lands have lost their carbon content, and the carbon is now in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
With this high climate impact, it is essential to look for a more sustainable sugar culture, including reducing our sugar consumption.
The dairy industry has had an adverse impact on our environment. Cow’s milk is not left out of the hazard. Data reveals that it has three times the impact of soy milk and uses much more land.
This is not to mention the production of methane - a harmful gas from cows. Cows also require feeds, which take up more resources. Overall, cow's milk isn’t the best type of milk for our environment. You can replace them with other plant-based options like oat and hazelnut milk.
Rice and other types of cereal are a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. And while they are plant-based foods, they harm our environment. Rice fields release significant quantities of methane. According to research, we can link rice production1 up to 11% of the global methane emissions.
This makes rice production the largest producer of human methane, moving ahead of livestock production. Other cereals like corn and flour products also consume lots of resources like water and can also have an effect on plant biodiversity if not properly cultivated.
Yes, even our chocolate has a negative impact on the environment. While not many people eat large amounts of chocolate daily, dark chocolate has a significant carbon footprint on cocoa production, which consumes lots of resources like water, putting more strain on our natural ecosystem.
Deforestation, child labor, and biodiversity loss are effects of cocoa production used in making chocolates.
In addition, chocolate goes through several processes, including roasting, fermentation, grinding, adding milk, sugar, and vegetables, and other processes that contribute to increasing the environmental impact of chocolates.
On the bright side, a few chocolate brands, like Beyond Good and Theo Chocolate, use Fair Trade-certified cocoa.
Let’s talk about bananas. So, while bananas as a fruit don’t have as much environmental impact, the movement of bananas across countries worldwide has a significant environmental impact.
Most people eat bananas, and as a result of increased consumption, leading countries of bananas like the Philippines and Costa Rica export lots of bananas to Europe.
Sadly, these bananas and even other fruits and vegetables travel many miles before they reach a local grocery store in Europe. This process releases carbon emissions into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
Soybeans are another plant-based food that falls on our list of some of the worst foods for our environment. Farmers grow tons of soybeans, which largely go into producing soybean oil, livestock feed, and soy foods, including tofu and soy milk.
Soybeans mainly grow in Latin America, and the high demand has led to deforestation. Also, during the production of the oil, manufacturers use chemicals that cause pollution and also release harmful gases.
Vegetables like cabbages, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower have less environmental footprint than animal products like eggs. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are also great for the planet and you.
Experts consider them one of the most sustainable foods on the market. These vegetables also require less resources to produce large quantities, making them good for the planet.
