Calculating the Environmental Cost of a Human Activity

Awareness about greenhouse gas impact in transportation and energy production is becoming a hot topic for environmentalists and there are many discussions on the topic. However, while they may be the most pressing, almost everything we do leaves behind a carbon footprint. As long as it requires energy to do something, carbon was emitted somewhere along the path in the processes involved from start to finish of the production chain, on the way to the final product. Additionally there are other important aspects that are also to be kept in mind including use of resources and emission of other green house gases.

The Cheeseburger footprint

A juicy burger is a favorite all over the world. Not surprising that there is an International Burger Day on May 28th! Lost in satisfying our taste buds, we however fail to recognise the hidden cost of this popular delight. It is a highly resource intensive dish with a big footprint.

To explain this situation, I want to share an experiment called the 'Cheeseburger Footprint' which is about the carbon footprint left behind every cheeseburger that we eat. This is not only the energy used when we cook the cheeseburger. This footprint is calculated keeping the entire process from growing wheat and slaughtering the cattle for meat to pickling the cucumbers in mind.

The final result of the total energy going into a single cheeseburger was anywhere from 7 to 20 mega joules. (The research will be cited in the references if anyone is interested to see this in detail). 

The video in the following link is an interesting videographic representation of the carbon footprint of a simple cheeseburger.

https://vimeo.com/8182986

Carbon Di Oxide

To calculate carbon dioxide footprint the researchers used figures from all forms of fuel including diesel, gas and coal and came to the conclusion that we can estimate between 1kg to 3.5kg of energy-based CO2 emissions per cheeseburger.

Methane

Furthermore, CO2 is not the only harmful GHG to keep in mind. Methane is calculated to be about 23 times more potent and effective as a GHG when compared to CO2 and it is also a major part of this equation. 

A cow must be 21 months old to be sent to the slaughter house. In one year a cow produces about 110 kg of methane so by the time it will be sent to the slaughter house it will have produced up to 220 kg of methane. Typically, a cow produces 500 lbs of meat (this is approximately 2000 burgers per cow). 

With this in mind, we come to the conclusion that a single cow produces 2.6 CO2 equivalent kgs of methane per burger.

Water

It is said that the next wars will be fought over water. Water security is a matter of extreme importance today. Thus while looking at the footprint of our activities, we should also consider the water footprint starting from the beginning of the supply chain. For the burger, this does not just involve the amount of water that goes into the cooking but every step on the way from the farm to the fork.

It is estimated that the water footprint of one burger amounts to 2000-3000 Litres. This would mean that the amount of water needed for 1000-1250 burgers could fill an Olympic size swimming pool! Something to be kept in mind before we dig our teeth into the next burger.

Conclusion

The average American eats a cheeseburger 3 times a week. This would mean that 540-915 kg of greenhouse gas is produced by the average American every year. This is proof that even an activity as simple as eating a cheeseburger has a massive greenhouse gas impact in the grand scheme of things.

Indeed we must be watchful of our actions. Environmental statistics about impact of our actions can help to be aware and adopt eco friendly lifestyles with lower harmful footprint on nature.

Sources and references

http://www.openthefuture.com/cheeseburger_CF.html

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/this-is-how-much-water-is-in-your-burger/

Photo Credit

https://www.piqsels.com/en/public-domain-photo-ijcfq