Energy input and food output: The energy imbalance across regional agrifood systems
Kajwan Rasul, Martin Bruckner, Finn Mempel, Stefan Trsek, Edgar G Hertwich, Michael Ladisch · 2024
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Description
Rasul and five co-authors present a study from twenty twenty-four on energy balance across world food systems. Farm systems once returned more energy than they used. Modern systems lean on fossil fuels, flipping that balance. The team compute energy return on investment for regions worldwide. Globally the ratio rose over recent decades but stays below one. Low-income regions still net-produce energy, though their edge shrinks with wealth. Rich regions are net energy sinks despite recent gains.
Food processing takes the largest share of system energy. Livestock products use most inputs yet give few calories back. Fertilizer takes a smaller share than processing. The authors flag food security and climate stakes in the imbalance.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Kajwan Rasul, Martin Bruckner, Finn Mempel, Stefan Trsek, Edgar G Hertwich, Michael Ladisch |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 57 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |