Foodprint - Carbon Foodprint of Austria

WU Projects

Agricultural production is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. High-income countries like Austria source large quantities of food and animal feed products abroad and thereby outsource the related climate emissions. Understanding global supply chains and geographical patterns of international trade with agricultural products is crucial for taking on responsibility for consumption-based emissions arising in other world regions. This study investigates Austria’s carbon foodprint, i.e. the emissions from global agriculture associated with the consumption of food products in Austria. While there is extensive literature on the footprint of single food products, as well as some studies quantifying the overall carbon footprint of food, no study has yet provided a detailed and comprehensive assessment of Austria’s carbon foodprint. This research project aims to provide detailed insights on climate hotspots in global food supply chains serving Austria’s food consumption. This will be realized by investigating Austria’s foodprint by 125 agricultural products, 191 source countries, and 10 GHG-emitting processes (e.g. land use change, enteric fermentation, fuel combustion), including all upstream emissions occurring abroad. Our findings will provide the empirical basis for identifying key sectors and products to reduce the climate impacts of Austrian food consumption.