Potatoes and carrots are worst Christmas veggies - for greenhouse gas emissions
Potatoes and carrots are the two most popular vegetables to serve up with a Christmas Day dinner – but are also the two worst culprits of the meal when it comes to the greenhouse gases emitted during their production, research has found.
A survey of 2,000 adults, who celebrate the holiday season, found that over three-quarters (78%) will sit down to a traditional Christmas meal on December 25 – with 88% of these serving up potatoes, while 81% will have carrots on their plate.
However, individually, these two veggies are each responsible for almost a fifth (18%), of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), that come from producing an entire festive dinner.
Other popular vegetables that rank highly in terms of GHG emissions include peas, which are enjoyed by 43% of Brits on the big day, and produce 15% of emissions from the meal.
Meanwhile, parsnips and sprouts are each responsible for 14% of Christmas dinner GHG emissions – but are enjoyed by 64%, and 75%, respectively.
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Overall, scientific modelling revealed that around 14,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases are emitted each year in the UK, just to produce the vegetables on our plates on Christmas Day.
However, the research estimates these emissions could be cut by up to a fifth, by using smart, 5G-enabled technologies in farming and food distribution – the equivalent of saving enough energy to power Christmas tree lights in 7.3 million UK households on the big day.
But one in five don't realise their Christmas day veggies can have a negative environmental impact (SWNS)The data, commissioned by Vodafone, conducted by WPI Economics, and modelled by Development Economics, used a survey of 2,000 adults to find out what vegetables people will tuck into during Christmas dinner.
It then looked at several aspects of UK food and drink manufacturing – including the average GHG emissions created by “traditional” approaches to producing Brits’ favourite vegetables (per kg of output).
This revealed the average UK GHG emissions from the production of our favourite vegetables in a festive dinner is 0.842 kg – meaning those who will enjoy the dish on Christmas Day will produce an estimated 13,803 metric tons of GHG.
Research found the combination of 5G-enabled precision technology, used to apply seeds, pesticides, and fertilizer; Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, which reduces food wastage on farms; and vehicle-to-everything technology, to make transporting food to retailers more efficient, could amount to an estimated overall saving of 3,302 metric tons of GHG emissions.
Andrea Dona, CTO at Vodafone, which is proposing a combination with Three UK to enable an £11billion investment to create better 5G networks over the next decade, said: “While this is a light-hearted way of looking at the energy that can be saved by the deployment of proper 5G technologies, the message is a serious one, and there are genuine time, money, and carbon savings that can be achieved.
“The Christmas Dinner and farming example is a topical illustration – but 5G really has the power to supercharge many UK industries, and so the roll-out of the infrastructure in the UK is critical for helping us meet our climate goals quicker.”
The research also found that other popular vegetables to serve up on the big day include broccoli (41%), cauliflower (36%), and cabbage (21%). Meanwhile, kale was at the bottom of the list, being dished up by just 3% of respondents.
Where possible, 54% were likely to seek out British or locally grown veggies, in support of UK farmers (78%), and to make sure their veggies are as fresh as possible (58%).
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However, a fifth of those surveyed didn’t realise the vegetables on their Christmas Dinner plate could have a negative impact on the environment.
It also emerged that over half (52%) of those polled, via OnePoll, will use up their Christmas leftovers in turkey sandwiches, bubble and squeak (29%), or a turkey curry (23%).
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