Nerisassat sunniutaat
In this activity you will use scientific data to evaluate which of the analysed animal-based options has the lowest carbon footprint in Greenland.
Tunngavissat
The choices we make regarding our food consumption and how they are produced have significant implications for both our health and the environment. From growing and processing to transportation, distribution, preparation, consumption, and disposal, each stage of the food’s lifecycle generates greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change. Our carbon footprint, this is, the amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that are generated by our actions, is heavily influenced by our food-related activities, with approximately one-third of human-caused greenhouse emissions linked to food production.
The climate impact of food can be quantified in terms of its greenhouse gas emissions intensity, measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kg CO2 e) per kilogram of food (kg of food). Animal-based foods are generally associated with the highest greenhouse gas emissions – but do all animal-based food alternatives contribute to the same extent? What are other factors in the food production chain that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions?
Suleriaaseq
In this activity, you will calculate the carbon footprint of various animal-based food alternatives consumed in Nuuk, Greenland. The alternatives include poultry and pork transported from Denmark by boat or plane, and locally hunted seal (hunted either near or far from the city). You will assess greenhouse gas emissions from different phases of production and transportation, from the farm or field to the consumer.
Handout 1 contains all the necessary tables to complete the activity and Handout 2 includes a graph for plotting the final results.
Start the activity by calculating the emissions from transporting pork and poultry from Denmark to Greenland by both boat and plane, using the data in Tables 1, 2 and 3. The provided data in Table 4 includes greenhouse gas emissions from pork and poultry production (farming and the cultivation of food for feeding these animals), and emissions from hunting seals including fuel for the trip and ammunition (data from Ziegler et al., 2021), that you will use to calculate the total greenhouse gas emissions from the production and transport of animal-based food alternatives in Greenland. Finally, compare these emissions by plotting the data on a graph.
- Start by calculating the greenhouse gas emissions from transporting 1 kg of poultry or pork from a farm in Aalborg (Denmark) to the port in Nuuk (Greenland). Use the information in Data Table 1 to complete Table 2 (Handout 1). Pay attention to the units!
- Fill the “Total emissions from transport from Aalborg to Nuuk by boat” in Table 2.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2, but this time use the Table 3 to calculate the transport of poultry and pork by plane.
- Copy your results into Table 4 and plot them on a stacked bar chart (Handout 2) for each food alternative. Use different colors to represent each component (production, shipping, fuel, etc.) of the total greenhouse gas emissions.
Kingorna eqqartuineq
- What is the animal-based alternative with the lowest carbon footprint in Greenland? Do you think the same food alternative will have such a low carbon footprint all over the North Atlantic?
- Why does the shipping of food by boat contribute so little to the greenhouse gas emissions? Discuss about the two different ways of transport (boat vs. plane) and what are the differences when it comes to transporting big amounts of food (remember that the emissions are calculated by kg of food!)
- Is sustainability only a matter of the carbon footprint? Explore the concepts of sustainable food systems and carbon-tunnel vision.



















































































































