Food and Farming
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
This is just a typical week in the US. There was a failed impeachment vote. Joe Biden apparently mishandled classified documents. Tucker Carlson released an interview with Vladimir Putin. The ocean temperature hit an all-time high.
Last summer the ocean off the coast of Florida was close to that of your typical hot tub – the 93-96°F (34-36°C) ocean temperature was described as “downright shocking“. The effects of warming oceans are devastating including coral bleaching, sea level rise, increased hurricane intensity, disrupted weather patterns, and the wholesale death of marine life. The oceans on the Earth are a tremendous heat sink – over 90% of the excess heat created by humans through burning fossil fuels has been absorbed by seawater.
In a challenge to the world’s food supplies, global fish and shellfish stocks are susceptible to rising temperatures. Cold water fish like cod and salmon are particularly vulnerable in warmer water. Fish have to work harder and need more food to sustain themselves. Spawning patterns are disrupted. On the other hand, embodying the essence of change, some may benefit: for instance, species like lobsters. squid, and black see bass are turning up for the first time in the cooler seabeds off the coast of Canada.
Commercial fishing itself creates a staggering 179 million metric tons of CO2e per year; this represents “3.5 pounds of carbon emissions for each 2.2 pounds of fish caught”. You can normalize the nutritional value of different fish stocks by the emissions required to produce them as food products: sardines, anchovies, and shellfish having the lowest impact relative to others like lobsters and crabs. Wild-caught fish have a lower climate and environmental impact compared to farmed fish, however farmed fish tend to have less waste associated with their processing and transportation.
It is time to take action, but given that even with urgent action the oceans will continue to warm and will stay warm for centuries, what direct action can be taken on behalf of marine wildlife is unclear. Sourcing locally is always a good start. Living in Minnesota, if it is not walleye (or other freshwater fish), it is likely that the seafood in the grocery has been on a truck or a plane on its way to your table!
Seafood Watch, hosted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium provides a Seafood Guide for consumers to find “more in-depth information about how and where to find sustainable sources of some of the most popular seafood items served in the US” in addition to valuable insight and background information for your use in making responsible seafood choices.
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 40: Reduce Consumption Through Community Sharing
Howard Creel
#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com