The Top U.S. Cities with Climate-Friendly Food Policies

We all need food, but the ways in which we produce and consume it are contributing immensely to climate change. Around one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the food industry, and animal products alone are responsible for more than half of those emissions. As our rate of meat consumption approaches unsustainable levels, several cities have taken it upon themselves to implement climate-friendly food policies, and reorient us towards a healthier planetary future.

What Is a Climate-Friendly Food Policy?

These policies can take many different forms, but they all have the same goal: to reduce the carbon footprint of a city’s many food systems. Because animal products contribute so disproportionately to environmental destruction, many of these policies attempt to reduce meat consumption, and increase plant consumption, among a city’s residents.

This can mean expanding the accessibility of plant-based foods in a city, creating systems to track food-related emissions or simply educating the public about the health and environmental benefits of plant-based foods. There are a lot of ways for cities to promote more environmentally friendly eating. Let’s look at a few.